Brother's Bond
by MystiqueGoddess
Summary: The childhood of SesshoMaru and InuYasha. sort of
1. Chapter 1

Claims: I claim the characters I made up, the epigrams/sayings/ poems at the beginning of each chapter, and the storyline.

**WARNING:**

**The following content has all bad words replaced by –BEEP— and is meant to be heartwarming. Because it's about Sessho-Maru and Inu-Yasha's childhood, the story is not accurate, and it's composed mostly on some of the stuff I made up, but does have some InuYasha facts, and I have altered some specific events to meet the plot's needs. Also, some of the characters sometimes may act…a bit _weird_. Not only that, the chapters are likely to be long. If you do not like any of the above, I suggest you do not read this story. Continue if you are a least a bit interested.**

Chapter 1 The Beginning--_The falling snow are tears of despair_. 

Young Sessho-Maru watched as the snowflakes gently fell. They reminded him of tears. And speaking of them, he was nearly in tears himself. After his mother has been killed in such a way that would be too terrible to describe, his father had abandoned him for some human princess. A human! Just the thought of it made his blood boil and cry out in frustration. "Okay," he told himself, "Calm down." After all, a good demon always stays calm and cool, never losing their tempers like those pathetic humans. That just proves you're weak. Yet the scene of his mother's death would always haunt him. He had no one to comfort him and was a bit lonely, but never understood these feelings because he never learned about love. Sessho-Maru reprimanded himself. No time to be weak. All those hunting and behavior skills his parents had taught him were for him to become a strong demon. Independently. He had to learn to cope by himself. Experience is the best teacher, they'd always say. Right now, he was quite content. He had his clothes, the fluffy boa his mother had gave him, enough food, a shelter, and, of course, his claws. After eating the leg of a lamb he had killed earlier, he curled up in his scarf and prepared for sleep, for he had nothing better to do.

Sessho-Maru woke up to a smell. It was the smell of …deer! He rarely had seen deer, not to mention catching one himself, and it was usually his father who brought it home for him, or that humans got it first…and because it was the middle of winter! He started to get suspicious. Deer was out of season during this time and place, so why was it here now? Nonetheless, Sessho-Maru's mouth would not stop watering. Maybe he'll just go investigate. If it wasn't a trap, then he could use the practice and he'd have fresh deer meat. If it was, he'd just leave it alone. Seeing that the odds weren't that high, he draped the boa on his shoulder and silently crept outside of the cave he was staying in. Outside, the snow that had mounted up the night before was blindingly white. Sessho-Maru treaded carefully through the snow, sniffing out the destination of the deer, yet keeping his guard up. His hair blended perfectly into the snow as well as most of his clothing. He had to be as less conspicuous as possible. Soon he had tracked it from deep within the woods. As he stalked closer, he could hear a chittering and scampering sound, coming closer each moment. Sessho-Maru quickly turned around to see what it was. It was a squirrel. He tried desperately not to flush from embarrassment. He was startled of a squirrel. Attempting to put it in the past (which was about 5 seconds ago), he continued his hunt. Closer and closer, Sessho-Maru could hear it thrashing for a while, then silence. Now, he heard a bit of chewing and ripping. Obviously, the deer was dead and being eaten by something else, but Sessho-Maru was curious. The smell of that creature seemed…familiar. He quickened his pace as he sped quietly to where the deer lay and where HE was…

Sessho-Maru peeked from behind a bare tree near the clearing. A humongous white dog was busy ripping pieces from the deer, sending blood flying everywhere, chewing, and then swallowing the whole chunk, bones and all. This large canine was none other than Inu no Taisho, his father. "Father," Sessho-Maru said as he approached him. Inu No Taisho tensed before seeing who it was.

"Ah, Sessho-Maru," he said, "you've grown since last I saw you! (Which was about a couple of months ago) Why don't you stop standing there and come join me."

"Yes, Father," Sessho-Maru replied as he changed into his dog form and trotted to his father's side. Just to tell you, Sessho-Maru was actually really cute as a puppy. He had floppy ears, bright, adorable little eyes, and his little, fluffy tail wagged as his father tossed some meat to him. It had been soooooo long since he had some and it tasted sooooooo good! And soon, all, his worries vanished. Inu no Taisho laughed as he watched his son devour the whole slab in one second flat.

"You smelled deer and traced it all the way here, eh?" Inu no Taisho asked. Sessho-Maru nodded vigorously with his mouth full from another piece and gulped.

"Sessho-Maru," his father suddenly solemnly said, "I have an important announcement." At this, Sessho-Maru quickly drew himself up, straight and alert, his ears barely twitching, and the big dog couldn't help but laugh, but then regained his composure. "You know the human wife I have?"

Sessho-Maru's dog brow furrowed and he spat. Inu no Taisho ignored this and continued. "Well, she's having a baby and it's due around tomorrow!" he said with a cheerfulness that was **NOT** like him. What did that woman do to his father?!

"Sooo…" Sessho-Maru drawled out, not liking this one bit.

"So I'm bringing you along! Anyways, Izayoi has never seen you before and would like to! Plus, you get to see the new baby!" he declaimed. Sessho-Maru felt faint. He did **NOT **want to be stuck in a place full of humans, not to mention see the baby, which was the last thing he'd want to do! How could his father do this to him? How could he stand the smell?!

As if reading his mind and upon seeing his son's expression (he chuckled mentally at the look of his son's face; it was hilarious!), Inu no Taisho answered rather pensively, "You'll understand when you learn to love someone you care about." Sessho-Maru didn't get it.

"What the –**BEEP—** (I told you it was a bit inappropriate, but I don't swear, so I'll replace them with beeps) is this 'love'? And why would you want to stay near those –**BEEP—** humans?"

Inu No Taisho sighed hopelessly, shaking his head. His son was so stubborn! _"Didn't he hear what I just said?"_ he thought. _"Really, young demons these days." _Then, he turned around to face Sessho-Maru. "We're leaving right now. Come along, Sessho-Maru. The palace is a bit far." He then ran off (but not too fast so Sessho-Maru could catch up). Sessho-Maru quickly ran after him, and to any passerby, they were just a large and small blur. "Catching up with running, eh, Sessho-Maru?" Inu No Taisho said proudly. "Yes," Sessho-Maru panted, "I've been practicing." All of a sudden, Inu No Taisho stopped, causing Sessho-Maru to collide into him. The colossal dog demon sniffed the air cautiously. "I smell trouble," he growled.

"What are we going to do then, Father?" Sessho-Maru asked.

"Let's go investigate," his father replied, smiling mischievously with a twinkle was in his eye. Soon they started running again, at a faster pace, until a strong smell of smoke and fire suddenly hit them. A fire? And what was burning—

"NOOO!" Inu No Taisho roared (screaming does not sound right…), and with a sudden burst of speed, dashed ahead. Sessho-Maru struggled to keep up, but started tiring and was quickly lagging behind. When he reached the destination, he saw that it was pretty much in cinders now. He tried to sniff his father's scent, but the thick smoke made it difficult and started gagging him. When he thought he would pass out, he saw a shadowed silhouette. "Father…?" he gasped meekly before falling unconscious.

Inu no Taisho knew that Izayoi's palace was being burned when he smelled its scent mixed in with the smoke. This was no ordinary fire. It was caused by a demon. He swore to himself that he would find and kill this fiend. In the meantime, he should be searching for Izayoi. He then heard a cough and moan and headed towards that direction. There, he found Izayoi and her maid. They were alive, but barely. After adjusting them upon his back, he turned to look for Sessho-Maru. Because his sense of smell was keener than his son's, he was able to find him more easily. The young demon just said, "Father…?" before collapsing. Inu no Taisho placed him on his back next to Izayoi, and darted off.

Sessho-Maru woke up to four smells. One was nice, like lavenders; another one was an awful stench, his father, and faint signs of the smoke. "…Wha…?" he said sleepily, until he noticed the two humans beside him. "Agh!" Now he was wide awake. Inching away from the sleeping women, he saw his father in his human-like form, sleeping _uncomfortably_ close to the prettier one of the two women. Her hair was the color of ebony, and, even though singed by the fire, was still shiny and smooth. Even her face, which was burned and marred from the fire, still held its original beauty. Gradually, Inu no Taisho stirred. He blinked once and stared at his wife lovingly and protectively, (Sessho-Maru thought he was going to barf) then turned to face his son. "Sessho-Maru," he said gravely. "Watch over Izayoi (he said her name tenderly as Sessho-Maru's eyebrow twitched in annoyance) for me while I'm gone and until I get back."

"Wait!" Sessho-Maru said as Inu No Taisho was about to leave the cave (they were in a cave). "Where are you going?"

"To slaughter the bastard who dared hurt my beloved Izayoi. (Sessho-Maru was very irked now that his father, Lord of the Western Lands, was getting mushy over this insignificant human!)" Inu no Taisho declared before he marched off. (He was blind to the fact that the demon probably wasn't targeting her in the first place…)

"_Oh great." _Sessho-Maru thought sarcastically. _"Father has left me with these two worthless humans."_

Swish! Crash! Inu No Taisho ran like he never before (the fastest he'd ever ran was when he was 15 in demon years; 357 years in human age, and was escaping the jaws of an alligator demon who'd tried to eat him). He had tracked its scent past this forest. He'd better reserve his energy for that

—**BEEP—** demon, for it was close. Surely it would sense him now…

The giant dog demon crashed past the forest and entered an arid valley. A humongous dragon-like demon stood in the middle of it. "Oh,"sneered the dragon, "have you come to see me for something, Lord of the Western Lands?"

"How dare you harm my beloved Izayoi and destroy her beloved palace! Not to mention her beloved servants and her beloved hair and _my_ beloved fur!" Inu no Taisho screeched into the poor dragon demon's face. (He had a sweat drop from Inu No Taisho's excessive use of the word "beloved")

"Heh heh heh," the demon chuckled ominously. (He actually was a bit rattled by Inu no Taisho's outburst) "Do you honestly know who you're talking to?"

"Not a clue." Inu No Taisho said so honestly that the demon anime fell. After regaining his position, he stated, "I am Ryukotsusei, Lord of the Southern Lands! I have plotted to defeat you for your lands!"

"_Heh heh," _Ryukotsusei thought, _"soon our two lands shall combine to form the Southwestern Lands, which I will be its sole ruler!"_

"Are you ready?" he hissed. Inu No Taisho cracked his knuckles and transformed. Crack!X253.5 minutes. (Ryukotsusei has a tear drop)

"Let's get started, then, Ryukotsusei," he responded. "Prepare to die!"

"I'll send those words right back at you!" Ryukotsusei replied as the two Lords lunged at one another.

Izayoi moaned as she slowly opened her eyes. Her face felt burned and it pained her greatly. As she looked around her, she noticed that she was in a dank cave and her faithful maid, Suzuki, was, luckily, sleeping beside her. Near the cave entrance sat a little boy with long, silky white hair, golden eyes, pointed ears, a blue crescent moon on his forehead, …unusually long nails, and a disgusted expression plastered all over his face. Over all, he looked quite like Inu no Taisho. _"He must be Inu No Taisho's son," _she thought. _"He's handsome, but his face is a bit feminine." _

Sessho-Maru saw that Izayoi was awake. "So you are finally awake," he said. Izayoi smiled warmly at him, causing him to shift uncomfortably.

"Where is your father?" she asked.

"Went off to kill the demon that hurt his 'beloved (that word again!) Izayoi'!" he said detestably. Izayoi laughed softly, her voice sounding like tinkling bells.

Finally, the maid Suzuki stirred. "Mistress?" she mumbled, then sat up quickly. That's when she noticed Sessho-Maru. "AHHHHHHH! A demon! Someone! Anyone! HEELLPP! He's captured us and will eat us ALLLIIVVEEEEEE!" she screamed. Sessho-Maru had to plug his ears; her scream was deafening! People (or at least demons) could hear her from miles away.

"Suzuki…" Izayoi began.

"Mistress! We must get out of here, quickly! I'll distract him!" she said as she took her mistress's wrist and plucked a damp rock from a pile. "Suzuki—" Iza Yoi started again but the maid started chucking rocks at (poor) Sessho-Maru, all the while yelling at the top of her lungs, "DEMON BEGONE!" Sessho-Maru had no trouble and easily dodged or batted away the rocks until he finally had enough of it. Taking a fairly light rock, he threw it at the rock-throwing machine (the maid), and it hit her square on the forehead and bounced lightly off. "Hahh…" she said before slipping into unconsciousness.

"Sessho-Maru," Izayoi scolded worriedly. _"So she knows my name," _he thought "You better not have hurt or killed her. She still is very young."

"It was just a light hit, even for you humans. Besides, I was getting annoyed at her yelling, 'Demon begone!' and throwing rocks at me," he explained, pointing to the rather large piles of rocks around him. (Izayoi has a sweat drop at this) Suddenly, Izayoi felt a pain in her stomach and cried out. Sessho-Maru took no heed; his father cannot expect him to protect her from pain, as he had no idea how that is done. Unexpectedly, the maid's eyes opened as if right on cue. _"I didn't hit her hard enough," _Sessho-Maru thought.

"Suzuki," Izayoi groaned, "I-I think…it's time."

"Right away, Mistress." Suzuki said. "You there, lass," she told Sessho-Maru. "You might as well help us here—"

"For your information, I am no human girl—"

"Suzuki," Izayoi said weakly, glad to be interrupting someone else for a change as Sessho-Maru fumed, preparing to claw them both to shreds if they dare insult him once again! "That is a demon lad."

"A lad! A demon!" Suzuki exclaimed, looking at Sessho-Maru unbelievably. (Mere moments ago, she knew and was trying to kill him. Perhaps she forgot…) "Get out, you fiend! There's birthing to be done here!" "Please…Sessho-Maru…" Izayoi pleaded. Sessho-Maru sighed and calmly walked outside. He had no business in there anyway. Now that he was away from those humans, it was time for some hunting.

A bloodcurdling scream of pure pain erupted from beyond the woods, shattering the stillness like ripples in water. Then, it was all over. "Mistress…" the maid whispered in sheer horror, "What monster have you birthed?"

Reality check: Actually, the baby was quite cute, with white, floppy puppy ears and fluffy white hair. When it opened its large, darling amber slitted eyes, it smiled sweetly. Iza Yoi cooed as the baby gurgled happily, and even Suzuki had to admit it _was_ quite an adorable baby, even if a monster. Just then, Sessho-Maru walked in, carrying 2 quails and 1 doe. His first deer! "The game is better here," he remarked, "much warmer climate.

"One for you." He threw a raggedy quail at Izayoi. He then glared at Suzuki. "None for you," he said coldly. Suzuki just ignored him and started to prepare the quail and started a campfire. Sessho-Maru ate his meal raw and outside, where he wouldn't smell them, and saved a leg of the first deer he killed for his father. _"He'd be so proud, if he comes back" _Sessho-Maru thought._ "**When** he comes back,"_ he corrected himself. Meanwhile, Izayoi was thinking pretty much the same thoughts. _"Oh please let Inu no Taisho be all right." _

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note:** Sigh, I actually wrote this up last year—actually, the year before that year (I nearly forgot, it's the new year now!)—and I didn't feel like posting it up until now, so I hope someone hasn't taken this idea already. I know, I know. This chapter doesn't have anything to do with brotherly love, but this is the onset! (And probably more preferable to non-mushy people) I hope that you, the reader have liked this first chapter. If not…(sigh) For people who want this stuff, it'll be in the next chapter! (For those who do not, you have been warned!) If you have any comments, tips, or insults, please review. I would really appreciate it! (But I'm not sure about the insults) Anyways, if anyone actually likes this, the earliest I might update will be within a week. If I am unlucky, you'd best wait a year or so! In conclusion, thank you to all readers who have at least _tried_ reading this. I know; it's so long! Some of the chapters have been written in advance. I just need to type them! I warn those who do not like long chapters: The chapters might progress in length! So, even after all the warnings, if you still choose to read this, good for you! (And good for me too; I might not be as hopeless at writing than I thought) So, farewell until the next chapter! (_Scaaarrryyy_, the author's note is pretty long, too!)


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 The Future Decided**

_**In the cold, white snow, **_

**_A delicate flower may grow_**

_**In the warmth of a sun's glow.**_

Inu no Taisho heavily panted as he eyed his opponent, Ryukotsusei. That blasted demon (more like the blaster, though) was tougher (literally) than he thought. That annoying demon kept repeating after all his blows, "I am tougher than steel," like a broken record until he became quite battered by his attacks. Although both had wounds oozing blood, Inu no Taisho was (yet again) burnt to a crisp from the dragon's fiery attack, and he was more injured than him. _"He wasn't bluffing," _he thought grimly, _"That demon's body is tougher than steel, but not tough enough for me!" _His eyes glowed crimson and his sharp claws flashed as he lunged at Ryukotsusei. "_Making this the final draw, eh?" _Ryukotsusei thought as he, too, surged onward to make the final clash with the dog demon. _"Heh heh,_ _he's already half-dead from the looks of it." _Unfortunately for him, he underestimated Inu no Taisho. With all his rage and fury, he felt no pain as Ryukotsusei blasted and slashed at him, and he put all his strength in this attack and pinned Ryukotsusei to the cliff behind him, causing a large, not to mention deafening, avalanche to topple him, to be buried forever. (But really…?) Even if he lost his talon and parts of the dragon demon were sticking out, he was sealed there until someone released his claw. But why would anyone bother to do that? (Hmm…if only he knew…recall from _InuYasha vol.19-20_) Satisfied, the huge, mortally wounded dog demon limped back to the direction—or what he thought to be the direction of—the cave. His senses weren't functioning properly, and he ended up lost. His vision was blurred from blood, his nose clogged, and his ears—nearly deaf. Miraculously, he made his way unanticipatedly to Toto-Sai's ford. At once, even if his senses were out of sync, he recognized this place at once. How coincidental to have meandered to here at the date _they_ were due. "Toto-Sai!" the dying demon rasped.

"Now, what is it this time? I'm busy. I've got 12 swords to finish, 5 to start, and 3 due the next day!" Toto-Sai grumbled as he walked out.

"_He does sound quite busy."_ "I'm sorry…to bother…you…Toto-Sai…" Inu no Taisho gasped, "but…the swords…that I ordered…were due today."

"Oh, so _you're_ Inu no Taisho?" Toto-Sai asked a bit bewilderedly. "Quite a state you're in. Oh yes. The swords you ordered were due today, but you ran off before I could tell you the main component of your swords. You see, if you really want swords like which you have told me to make, I would need the bone of a demon or other magical creatures. Figuring that the swords are upon your abilities, I would need a bone part from you. Because your fangs would naturally grow back, unlike your claw or femur, I was thinking of asking you but you were already gone. So, while I was waiting, I gathered some of the other ingredients for your swords and started, but can't complete without that vital part. So, now that you're here, shall I get started?"

"Yes." Inu no Taisho replied as Toto-Sai moved his tools outside, seeing that the he was too weak to move inside _and_ that going inside would make the floor bloody. "Open wide, Inu No Taisho, this may hurt a bit, or in your condition, a lot."

Sessho-Maru was minding his own business when he heard a big crash of falling rocks, which then followed into silence. It could've been his father's battle, or it could be some idiot who was climbing on loose stones and fell to his doom, along with a couple of boulders to squash him. Serves his right. He shrugged the matter off and continued with finishing his dinner. It took so long because he kept picking, poking, and prodding it, but never really gulp it all down. Izayoi, her maid, and the baby were asleep.

Several hours later, Sessho-Maru was star-gazing for he had finally finished, but then heard a agonizing howl from far beyond the forest or the valley nearby. It sounded awfully like his father's cry. But it couldn't be, could it? After all, why would he be all the way over there? The young demon pondered over this as he went back to stare at the stars.

"Well, I did warn you…" Toto-Sai drawled, putting both of Inu no Taisho's fangs in a metal case, leaving the poor Western Lord bleeding more than he already was. "Because of the other swords I'll have to make and finish, including yours, it'll take about a week or so. Tetsusaiga, the destroyer, and Tenseiga the healer, eh? Okay, then assuming you'll be dead by then, who and where shall I deliver them to?"

"Search for my son, Sessho-Maru. My wife, Izayoi must have birthed the other child by now. Give Tenseiga to the eldest son and Tetsusaiga to the youngest son." Inu No Taisho said wisely. Toto-Sai arched an eyebrow. "What makes you think the child is a male?"

"_Intuition,"_ Inu No Taisho said in such a fake, spooky voice that it was almost scary, and Toto-Sai had a sweat drop at this. But then, the demon started hacking blood.

"Sorry," he said hoarsely, "I've got to go see my family while I still have time left." And he tramped off, a bit quick for someone who's dying. Toto-Sai watched and waited until Inu no Taisho was well out of hearing distance before muttering quietly, "Oh great. Now he left me more work to do. I guess I better get started on cleaning this bloody mess."

Sessho-Maru was so dead-drop bored that he felt the need to doze to pass the time. All of a sudden, he smelled blood. Demon blood. A dog demon's blood. Even more specifically, his father's blood. He can also hear Inu no Taisho's heavy, labored breathing. It was near morning and soon the humans would start waking to Inu no Taisho's return, if not by themselves. After all, he was pretty close now. Sessho-Maru silently slipped outside and swiftly ran to greet his father. But when he beheld the image of his father's condition, all the words were swallowed back into his throat. Scratch what he thought earlier. His father was anything _but_ pretty. In fact, he was in a grotesque shape. His eyes were blurred and bleeding, resembling gold covered in blood. His fur was in shambles, with twigs, dirt, snow, and especially blood all over. Basically, his father was no longer purely white, but pure blood red. Sessho-Maru would've fainted in horror, but demons do not faint, so he turned paler than his hair color.

"Sessho…Maru…" he said weakly, and finally collapsed, sending blood flying everywhere and splattering his son, who was just standing there, frozen and dumbfounded. Because he was so speechless, Inu no Taisho spoke first. "Fetch…Iza…yoi."

Sessho-Maru instantly dashed back to the cave. He first kicked Izayoi awake and bombarded her poor maid with pebbles until she was awake too. Consequently, they ended up in a rock fight, ranging from dirt as the smallest particle and fairly large boulders (Sessho-Maru) as the largest size. Obviously, Sessho-Maru was winning (remember the boulders) and Izayoi had to stop them before her maid was killed. (Not that Suzuki noticed…) Finally, she lost her temper. "**STOP YOUR PETTY FIGHTING!!**" she screeched. "**NOW!!!**"

Sessho-Maru (who was lifting another boulder) and Suzuki (who was about to shower Sessho-Maru with millions of pebbles) froze as they dropped what they were holding. They had **NEVER** seen Izayoi like this before and had brought them such a shock. Izayoi now had a sweat drop at their reaction. Her anger dissolved to laughter when she saw their startled faces, wide eyes, gaping mouths, and froze-stiff poses.

"Sessho-Maru," she said sweetly, now that they had stopped, "what is it that you wanted to tell us?"

"Oh yes," he said, unfreezing, the maid, too. "Father is—"

His face became twisted in horror as he visualized the sight for a split second, and then became normal. "Father is dying and he wants to see you." Izayoi cried out in dismay. "Oh NOOOO!" she wailed. "We must see to him immediately! Don't just stand there! GET MOVING!" But then, she started crying harder; she didn't even get to see him and anytime now, he was going to die!

"Dry your tears now, Mistress," Suzuki said comfortingly. "Come, let's see him." Izayoi nodded as she held her baby close to her. "You come too, filthy demon. He is your father, after all," ordered the maid.

"Well DUH," Sessho-Maru replied coldly. "That is why I came back here. Father sent me to fetch you over-sleeping humans. I am not going to go because of _your_ orders. I am going because it is my duty as his son, and I do not need _you_ to remind me." And he walked past her to the cave opening. _"Huh," _she thought. _"Stupid, stubborn snot-nosed demon kid."_ Then, she and Izayoi, with the baby, followed Sessho-Maru out of the cave to his father.

When they arrived, Izayoi and her maid gasped and screamed at the sight of Inu no Taisho. The over-shocked maid looked ready to faint. "Maybe I shouldn't have come."

"Ah," Inu no Taisho managed to croak with his weak voice. "So that is my son." He smiled at the infant's adorable sleeping face. With much pondering, he seemed to have decided on something.

"His name," he declared, "shall be Inu-Yasha, 'dog demon.' "

"Then Inu-Yasha it is," Izayoi confirmed.

Next, Inu no Taisho turned to a different matter. "While he is still asleep, help me wash off all this blood, Izayoi," he told her before coughing out more blood. Turning his head to his oldest son, he rasped, "Sessho-Maru, watch over your brother for us as I go wash." He then rose up with much labor and blood spilling. The maid screamed again as she got splattered by blood.

"That does it!" she screeched. "I'm going back to wash!" Steaming, she stomped away.

"We'll be right back," Izayoi told Sessho-Maru as she handed him her precious child and went with her bleeding husband to a river nearby. Sessho-Maru watched them leave until they were out of sight, then turned to his half-brother. The little thing was dressed in a white shirt and puffy red pants. His breathing was normal, but he kept tossing and turning. _"Maybe he is cold,"_ Sessho-Maru thought as he unwrapped the soft boa from his shoulder and coiled it around his little brother, tight and warmly. He did not need it, for demons do not get cold or ill. There, Inu-Yasha nestled quite comfortably in the soft, cushiony scarf. Sessho-Maru couldn't help but tug on his ears a bit; they were soft and silky and real, like a dog's! Just then, before he could move his hands away, Inu-Yasha snatched it. Not in a rash way, but as if in a longing way. He held his elder brother's hand close to him, as if it to comfort him and make sure he wasn't left alone. Sessho-Maru's instinct told him to yank away, but somehow he couldn't move. Or he wouldn't move. A glowing warmth surged through his body and emotions, and his cold and hard feelings and expression melted like ice in the warmth of the sun's shine. Sessho-Maru laid down beside Inu-Yasha. Soon, both were fast asleep, close together and facing each other, laying on Sessho-Maru's boa, and clasping each other's hand.

Inu no Taisho limped as he struggled to keep up with Izayoi for once. "You can do it," she encouraged, "we're almost there."

Finally, they reached their destination. Luckily, it was quite a vast river, big enough for a colossal, bleeding-really-badly dog demon. When he spotted it, Inu no Taisho mustered some of his remaining strength and rushed into the deep river. Its cold, calming water soothed his wounds, and he sat there as Izayoi was scavenging for healing herbs for his injuries. About half an hour later, she returned with an armful of plants, and most of Inu no Taisho's wounds have stopped bleeding. The percentage of his original white fur was outnumbering his red blood. He heavily stepped out of the not-so-clear-anymore river, dripping a large puddle of blood mixed with water around him, and onto the bank as he shook his soggy pelt dry. Now, it was all light and fluffy.

"Come here, darling," Izayoi told him as she placed the basket down and prepared the herbs. The dog demon walked over and sat down next to his wife as she took some paste she made from the plants and started covering his wounds with them.

"Oh, Inu no Taisho," she mourned while plastering a particularly humongous wound on his shoulder, "I understand that you care about me, but why must you be so vengeful? Revenge doesn't help any; it only causes more problems. Look at you. You're in such a mess. If you didn't go to fight, you'd be all right."

"I've made my last, fatal mistake," Inu no Taisho said gravely yet winced in pain at the paste, "but at least I've sealed that demon to the cliff with my claw where her can do no more harm—" At this, Izayoi quickly investigated his paw, and cried out when she saw the missing talon. "Oh, Inu No Taisho," she wailed yet again.

"There, there," he said soothingly. "The past is past. We must worry about the future. Please, Izayoi, when I die—" She started sobbing harder

"—please watch over my sons. Lead them in the right direction, so they don't end with the same fate as me. That said, climb on. You might as well ride on my back one last time."

"But won't it strain you?" she asked worriedly.

"I'll be fine," he assured her.

And so, she climbed onto his back, and when she adjusted herself, he got up and galloped back through the forest.

When they arrived, Inu no Taisho and Izayoi couldn't help but smile. The two brothers looked so cute and cuddly together. It was such a heart-warming sight that they had to restrain from saying "Awww" as to not awaken them. Both Sessho-Maru and Inu-Yasha were lying on Sessho-Maru's puffy boa, close to each other, grasping each other's hands, faces turned to the other's with a calm and satisfied look. And so, the two arrivals ended up watching them quietly as the half-brothers slept on. Finally, Sessho-Maru began to stir, sat up, and rubbed his eyes. At this movement, Inu-Yasha began to wake and copied his brother by rubbing his eyes, too. Sessho-Maru got a bit irritated at this as the two parents laughed.

"Oh, so you're here," he said smoothly as he brushed himself off. His half-brother, struggling to stand up, watched him pat the dust away and attempted to imitate him yet again. This caused more laughs and an irked evermore Sessho-Maru. When Inu-Yasha saw Inu no Taisho, he happily ran, stumbled, walked, stumbled, crawled to him, hugged and buried his face in his father's soft fur.

"Ba!" he said, clutching his fur happily, smiling a huge, wide, goofy grin. Inu no Taisho smiled affectionately at him as Izayoi beamed happily. "That's his first word!" she said enthusiastically.

"Ba! Ba! Ba!" The little half-breed shouted jubilantly, hopping up and down. His father cuddled and embraced him along with his wife, which formed a happy family hug. Sessho-Maru, upon watching his, thought he would be grossed out by this family scene, but was surprised to find, instead, a twinge of loneliness in his heart. After all, he was alone for a pretty short while before being reunited with his father. _"What's wrong with me?"_ He thought angrily to himself. _"I am a demon, and demons do not have emotions. Right?"_ But one look at his father and he knew that was wrong. He felt quite left out, and this made him angry. _"I will go far away from the,."_ he thought. _"Far away so I will not have to see this image at all; so I will not have to feel this hurt anymore. I'll get used to being alone. Demons _are _supposed to be alone."_ While he was standing there, sentimental and hard feelings battling each other in his heart and in his mind, Inu-Yasha seemed to notice something wrong and missing. Turning around to face his brother, he had a look of worry in his golden eyes. First, he beckoned at Sessho-Maru to join them, but Sessho-Maru shook his head in response. He did not need pity from his little brother. Next, seeing as that he didn't choose to, Inu-Yasha tugged on their father's and pointed to the lone Sessho-Maru, making urgent sounds, but to no prevail, for he was busy with Izayoi. Lastly, knowing that that failed, he struggled out of his parents' embrace and scampered to Sessho-Maru, taking his hand and tugging toward that direction. Again, he shook his head, but his sentimental side won, and he felt happy that Inu-Yasha actually cared, yet also sad. He really thought that he should leave and become a true and powerful demon, but what of his brother? He was trying so hard to get him to be with the group, but he would be sad if he had to leave. A sudden jerk on his sleeve broke him from his thoughts. The little tyke smiled at him and hugged him. This time, Sessho-Maru did not even attempt to break away. Instead, he embraced his brother back. Half-brother. Whatever. He only knew that the feeling now was like hot soup on a cold day. It kept him warm and filled him up. He wanted this wonderful feeling to last forever.

Meanwhile, a beautiful and elegant bird that resembled a cloud-white peacock chirped a euphonious note as it watched the pairs before flapping away. One of its brilliant golden-tipped tail feathers floated down gently onto the boa Sessho-Maru's mother gave him. Then, something amazing happened. It seemed to melt into the scarf, like a sinking ship slowly submerging beneath the deep ocean. No one noticed any of this, though.

The next day, Inu no Taisho died. Izayoi cried real hard as the maid Suzuki staunchly tried to comfort her, but she wouldn't stop. Inu-Yasha was sobbing too because Izayoi was crying, and he kept pulling his fur (YOW!! That would hurt if he was alive), as if he was only sleeping instead of dead. No one had the heart to tell him that Inu no Taisho was really dead. One: he wouldn't understand. Two: He would start crying for real if he did. Three: nobody really wanted to say that he's dead, as if saying it would confirm that he really was, because even if they know it in their minds, their hearts wouldn't accept that fact. That night, they buried him near the cave and sacrificed what was left of the rotting deer Sessho-Maru had saved for him by burning it and letting the ashes get blown be the wind.

"Father," Sessho-Maru said solemnly, "the first deer I have ever killed." When all the ashes were gone, the breeze seemed to sigh, as if its hunger was satiated, as if it was Inu no Taisho instead.

For the next few months, they lived at the cave, with Izayoi still mourning and Suzuki still comforting, while Sessho-Maru and Inu-Yasha went out to the forest to hunt. Sadly, Inu-Yasha was clumsy and scared all the game away, so he played near the river as Sessho-Maru went hunting. At dusk, Sessho-Maru killed 5 quails and ate 2 and 1 boar and ate ¼ of it, and he went to pick up his younger half-brother. Astoundingly, Inu-Yasha somehow caught some fish, even if they were a measly batch of 5 guppies and 1 trout. Then, they headed back to the cave. That night, they ate most of their catch (except Sessho-Maru threw the guppies back into the river; they were not edible), and only Sessho-Maru refused to eat the berries that Suzuki had gathered (_"That spoiled brat," _she thought) before they stored the leftovers. It was the same routine for the next couple of months. (Sessho-Maru killed a bear, Inu-Yasha caught more trout, less guppies, and a salmon, and Izayoi stopped crying enough to help Suzuki collect berries and dig up some roots and edible mushrooms) Finally, one day, an emperor, a group of samurais, and a couple of maids called out, "Izayoi! Lady Izayoi! Suzuki! Where are yoooouuuu? Are you heeeerrrreee? Are you aliiiiiiive?" This woke everyone except Sessho-Maru (he wasn't asleep in the first place). Izayoi and Suzuki got up and groggily walked outside the cave. "Over here!" they shouted. "There you are, my daughter!" The emperor exclaimed triumphantly as he and his search party hustled to the cave they were staying in. They were overjoyed until they noticed the dog demon brothers inside. The maids started screaming ("Why must they always scream?" Sessho-Maru asked Inu-Yasha, who shrugged in response), the samurais drew their swords, and the emperor demanded, "What are those demon lads doing here? Destroy them!" They were in an almost no-win situation, being surrounded by the sharp points of each samurais' sword. Inu-Yasha didn't get why they were encircled by sword points and clutched his brother's arm in worry, while Sessho-Maru cracked his knuckles and prepared himself. He would bring down as many with him as he could.

"STOP!!" Izayoi cried out as she shoved her way past the samurais to the brothers.

"Izayoi? What is the meaning of this?!" her father asked testily.

"Please do not harm them!" she pleaded. "He—"she hugs Inu-Yasha "is my son, and he—" points to the ready-to-kill Sessho-Maru "is my half-son." "**WHAT?!**" the enraged emperor screeched at the top of his lungs. "**HOW COULD THAT BE?!**" Someone a mile away could hear that shriek, perhaps even farther.

"Father, please understand." Izayoi pleaded once more, gripping Inu-Yasha even tighter, who, in turn, squeezed Sessho-Maru's arm in a death grip.

" –**BEEP—**_ **OW! **Inu-Yasha sure squeezes hard for a baby! Maybe it is from catching all those slippery fish," _Sessho-Maru thought as he bit his lip to divert his attention from the pain. Everyone watched as the emperor paced back and forth, thinking, his face wry. Finally, after 2 hours of thinking and pacing, he turned to the waiting audience, who have been frozen in their positions with the exception of their eyes, which were following his as he paced. "All right," the king concluded. "You may bring those filthy rascals (scowls at them, Sessho-Maru scowls right back) with you to live with us. But that's it, okay? And if there's any incident with someone being injured or killed by them, they get the boot, okay? So they've got to be 'good wittle demons' if they live with us. (Sneers at them, Sessho-Maru glares back) Deal?"

"Father! Don't be so harsh on them!" Izayoi argued.

"Take it or leave it!" he roared back. Izayoi sighed and nodded. The deal was done. So, the next day, they started their journey to their new home.

Back at Toto-Sai's, he finished the swords a week late, delayed by all the other swords he had to complete, but they were finally done.

"Now it's time to deliver the Tenseiga and Tetsusaiga to his sons," he stated as he took the finished blades with him and mounted his ox. "Let's go," he told it. "To the two brothers. (Although he had no idea where they were)" And off it galloped.

**To be continued…**

**Author's Note: **I'm not sure if anyone's reading my fanfiction, so if you would like me to continue on to post up Chapter 3, then please review saying so. Thank you!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3Life at the Palace**

_**Kindness is the best gift you can give to someone.**_

With the party of a lord, a lady, two demons, a few maids, and an army of samurais, the trip back to the palace took four whole days.

"_They are _**sooooooo**_ slow,_" Sessho-Maru kept thinking, day after day, hour after hour, second after second, even nanosecond after nanosecond (if he could think that fast). He was _terribly_ bored, walking at the same slow pace as those pathetic humans. They got tired too easily. They always had to stop to take a rest every 45 minutes. Imagine, all that time wasted stopping that could've been made up walking. Honestly, his father had covered the same distance within a day's length.

As Sessho-Maru fumed over this (after all, this _was _the only thing he could do), Inu-Yasha was learning to talk. Sadly, his vocabulary included several bad words. Like the time a samurai stubbed his toe. "Oh **–BEEP—**!" he cursed. Upon hearing this, Inu-Yasha repeated, "Oh **–BEEP—**!** –BEEP—**! **–BEEP—**!" as everyone stared, horrified, at the cussing kid and then glared at the samurai for swearing in the first place (he was in the presence of Lady Izayoi!) as he blushed and apologized sheepishly. Another incident was when Sessho-Maru got so fed up that he over-blew his fuse.

"**OH –BEEP—! THIS PACE IS –BEEP— SLOW!! ALL OF YOU –BEEP— HUMANS ARE –BEEP— SLOW!!!" **he screeched, exasperated. **"I AM GOING –BEEP— MAD! I'M GONNA GO NUTS! WE BETTER PICK UP THIS –BEEP— PACE OR I'M GONNA BUTCHER YOU ALL!!! RAAAAAAAAAAHHHH—"**

The samurais (the whole army) had to tie him up in chains (ropes simply would not word), drug him, and carry him the rest of the way. (Luckily, they were almost there)

As they continued, Inu-Yasha happily sang, "Oh **–BEEP—! **Oh **–BEEP—! **Oh **–BEEP—, –BEEP—, **butcha, **–BEEP—,** slow, **–BEEP—**, mad, **–BEEP—**, nuts, **–BEEP—!**" at the top of his lungs and quite off tune like it was no different than any other decent nursery song as everyone else groaned at this. It would take an eternity to cleanse the brat of all those words he had just learned. The cursing kid strikes yet again.

At last, they reached their new home, the new and improved palace. It was grandiose and enormous, perhaps even larger than Inu no Taisho himself! Even baby Inu-Yasha, who did not know much, gaped at this grandeur sight. "**–BEEP—**" he said breathlessly as everyone in their traveling party winced (excluding Sessho-Maru; he only twitched in his drugged sleep, but even if he was awake, he wouldn't) and everyone else within hearing range stared at him, shocked that such a young child should ever know such vile language, although if he knew a better choice of words he would have chosen to use those instead.

"Oh Izayoi, darling!" someone called from inside. (Sessho-Maru snored in response) As they approached closer, a figure in expensive clothing, from the satin boots to the silk sleeves to the gaudy hat atop his head, rushed towards them. "Izayoi, my love!" he cried as he embraced her.

"Whadda—" Inu-Yasha began as a thousand hands flew to cover his mouth before he could say anything (bad). That's when the man noticed him.

"Waaahh!! It's a demon child!" he screamed as he drew his sword. "DIE DEMON!" he yelled as a war cry as the thousand hands quickly recoiled to avoid being chopped off. As a result, Inu-Yasha was free to say, "**–BEEP— **you." Everyone gasped, including the man, who froze just before his sword touched a single strand of Inu-Yasha's hair, who, unknowingly, narrowly avoided being slice in half. Cocking his head in puzzlement, he then grabbed the man's sword, crawled to his mother, and started chewing it like a bone. It was very still (except for Sessho-Maru's snoring and Inu-Yasha's chewing) as everyone tried to process what that just happened. It was so silent that one could hear the wind blow and hear tumbleweed tumble. (No wait, that was in the Wild West…) That was when Sessho-Maru rolled over and fell off the samurais' hands, causing him to abruptly wake up. "What the **–BEEP—** ?" he said drowsily as he wriggled out of his chains. Just then, he noticed that everyone except Inu-Yasha, who was chewing on a sword, was as stiff as statues. So, just to cause mischief, he walked around, snatching people's possessions, until he got to the rich man. As he took his hat off, the poor guy instantly snapped back to reality. "My hat!" he cried. "How dare you, thief! You shall die by my sword!" Unfortunately for him, he hadn't processed much in his head during that unusually (more like impossibly) long thinking period and hadn't noticed that his sword was no longer in his possession, gone. (Being chewed on, more or less…) Sessho-Maru raised an eyebrow in amusement. This man planned to take him down with an imaginary sword. How scary. That was when the unlucky fellow noticed that his sword was gone.

"Hey, where'd my sword go?" he demanded angrily until he noticed Inu-Yasha chewing on it. Already it was beginning to become blunt and chipped.

"**NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!**" he screamed in a rather bloodcurdling and deafening way. This seemed to wake everyone from their trance-like stiffness. Some looked around as if they were in some strange, bizarre country and didn't know how they got there. Others remembered what happened and were tensed and on their guard.

"**OOOOOOOHHHH NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!**" the man screamed yet again. "**THAT SWORD WAS EXPENSIVE! 900,000 YEN!**"

Sessho-Maru couldn't help think, _"That moron. Spending that much money on a sword? I do not know much about money, but I can tell that's a lot." _Then, he turned to his half-brother, who was bored from chewing it and threw it away randomly. At someone. And that someone just so happens to be the mourning/screaming man, who somehow dodged the chewed up sword as it soared out of sight.

"**GRAAAAAAAHHH!!!**" he screeched even louder (if that was possible). "**FIRST IT CUSSES, THEN IT EATS MY SWORD **(actually, he was chewing it) **AND THEN IT THROWS IT AWAY!!!!!!!**"

Sessho-Maru couldn't help but walk over to Inu-Yasha and congratulating him on driving the crazy man even crazier. Inu-Yasha beamed as if he'd done a great deed. (But it wasn't…was it?) Consequently, Izayoi scolded both of them, Sessho-Maru for praising Inu-Yasha for doing something bad and for stealing, in which she made him give back (he just threw them and they _somehow _landed back to the owners), and Inu-Yasha for saying bad words, chewing things he shouldn't be chewing, and throwing things he shouldn't be throwing, especially at someone or at random places (although Inu-Yasha might not have understood a word she said).

"**I CAN'T TAKE IT!**" the totally nuts guy continued. "**IF MARRYING HER MEANS LIVING WITH _THEM, _I'M LEAVING!**" And with that, he stomped away, to somewhere far from the two nightmare brothers.

"Another suitor, eh, father?" Izayoi asked.

"Yes," the wretched lord confirmed, furrowing his brow in frustration. "Agh!" he wailed. "I'm broke, my daughter. I spent all our wealth reconstructing the palace. I tried getting some rich husbands for you, but you persist with your refusals! And now, with two demon lads living with us, there's no way you're going to get marri—"

"I **AM** married, Father," she interrupted rather coldly. "And Inu no Taisho is worth more to me than all the suitors in the world."

"But he is a DEMON!" her father shrieked. "A **DEMON**! How could you? He probably was the one who set our previous palace on fire anyways—"

"It was **_NOT_** him," Izayoi retorted. "It was a demon named Ryukotsusei. Inu no Taisho **_DIED_** trying to avenge us, to ensure that Ryukotsusei would do no more harm!" And with that explanation, she started crying as the befuddled lord watched her, speechless and helpless, as did everyone else. Sessho-Maru watched as Inu-Yasha tugged his mother's soggy sleeve, and as she turned to look at him, he beamed brightly and hugged her, as if to tell her, "It's all right, no need to cry." Izayoi smiled despite her tears and hugged and patted him back affectionately. Most of the observers sighed thoughtfully as some couldn't help but murmur, "Awww!" Sessho-Maru, who was bored, was chewing on a fish Inu-Yasha caught during the trip here. (He was becoming quite the fisherman—or fisherdemon, in his case)

The pitiful lord sighed. "I guess not all demons are _that _bad," he said, then glared at Sessho-Maru. No one munches on fish and ignores him, not if he could help it!

Sessho-Maru glared back. He wasn't going to bow or follow any orders from a puny human.

Izayoi couldn't suppress a giggle; these two thought too highly of themselves.

The other people were highly amused as they watched sparks fly between the two. A glaring contest between a demon kid and a mighty lord!

Suddenly, something seemed to crash between the two glaring contestants and arousing the dust to cover the scene. Through the dust, some were able to spot a dark silhouette, and as the dust cleared, the figure's appearance became clear. He was a strange, skinny, old geezer, although one look at his **HUGE**, bulging eyes and three-eyed bull confirmed that he was demon. And because he was between the two glarers, they glared at him instead.

"_Where do all these ridiculous demons come from?" _the glaring lord thought.

"_Feh, such a stupid-looking geezer. How dare he just land in front of me_," the snotty demon kid Sessho-Maru thought, although a bit underetimatedly because Toto-Sai (for that was who he was) was _way _older than he. (Toto-Sai was at least 80 years old in demon standards and several thousands in human years, while Sessho-Maru…10 in demon and no older than 100 in human…that's a **_BIG_** difference…)

"Hey, you Sessho-Maru?" Toto-Sai asked the glaring lord, oblivious to the tension surrounding him.

"No, I am," glaring Sessho-Maru replied as Toto-Sai glanced around for where the voice came from, somehow missing Sessho-Maru by not even bothering to glance down. Impatient, glaring-even-more Sessho-Maru growled, "DOWN HERE!" Then, once again, the swordsmith seemed to find a way to look down without spotting him. "Look **DOWN **as in **BELOW** you," Sessho-Maru grumbled.

"**_You're_**Sessho-Maru?" Toto-Sai cried incredulously. At first he thought that the pathetic thing had finally noticed him, but then he saw that Toto-Sai wasn't looking at him.

"I expected you to be a demon!" Toto-Sai exclaimed to some random ant that just, unfortunately, happened to be there as everyone either anime fell or had a sweatdrop.

"**_I _**am Sessho-Maru," Sessho-Maru said through gritted teeth, just managing not to scream it for what seemed to him to be trillionth time, and he was quite thoroughly nagged as he jumped, took the pitiful insect and squished it between his thumb and forefinger. (Ewwww!)

"Oh, so **_YOU'RE_** Sessho-Maru," Toto-Sai confirmed. "Closer to what I had in mind, except I didn't imagine you would be **_this_** puny."

Sessho-Maru growled. He wasn't that small!

…Was he?

"Now, back to what I was saying. Hmmm, where was I? (He hasn't even started explaining yet…) Oh yes! Before he died, your sire told me to give you this sword." The odd demon took one of the swords he was holding and thrust it at Sessho-Maru. Of course, being so small, it flew over his head and hit someone in the background.

"**UWAAAAHHH!**" the poor guy screamed before falling unconscious. Quite irritated, the 'tiny' demon walked over and took the sword.

"Use Tenseiga at a time of great peril," Toto-Sai advised sagaciously.

"Hmph," was all Sessho-Maru said and he walked away from the scene.

"Nobody is **_ever _**grateful these days," the irked swordsmith muttered. "What happened to manners?" Then, he turned to face Inu-Yasha. "Your father told me to make you a sword, too." He took the remaining sword and threw it at Inu-Yasha ("How did he get Inu-Yasha right but not me?!" Sessho-Maru thought furiously), but it missed Inu-Yasha by a hair (because he was pretty small, too) and landed on his mother's lap instead. Toto-Sai twitched irritably. Was his aim really that bad now?

"Toto-Sai?" Izayoi called out. "May I keep his sword—"

"Tetsusaiga," Toto-Sai corrected.

"May hold onto Tetsusaiga for now? I believe my son isn't ready yet."

Then it hit him. It wasn't that he was such a terrible thrower (maybe he still was, but…); it was because they weren't ready to accept the swords yet. And with that in mind, he urged his ox home without a word, leaving everyone flabbergasted and staring after him with an expression of "What in the world just happened?" Izayoi turned down to look at her son (sleeping again) and then looked up at the approaching Sessho-Maru. "Sessho-Maru, I may need to hold on to your sword for you until you're ready," she told him.

"Whatever," he grumbled in an incredibly bored mood. "It won't come out of its scabbard for me." (As if to prove Toto-Sai's point) Then he stormed away. Izayoi smiled. Sessho-Maru gets angry so easily, in a calm way. Then, they continued to walk into the castle after all those interruptions. (Which meant that it was probably evening at that time) After all that commotion, everyone needed sleep. Izayoi slept in her new room with Inu-Yasha, and the emperor 'tearfully' told Sessho-Maru all his regrets and apologies (NOT!) that they ran out of sleeping quarters for him to sleep in, so he must either choose to sleep in the dungeon or outside. (Ha ha, _sooo_ not true) Sessho-Maru, of course, chose to sleep outside, for that was better than being in any old musty prison. Izayoi complained about his trickery (not to say that Sessho-Maru had seen through his obvious excuse although was too drained and grouchy to quarrel) and that Sessho-Maru was only a child (he'd be enraged to hear this), to which her father argued that he was a _demon _child, and thus he should do just fine. Finally, every cranky person went to bed. (Except Inu-Yasha, who wasn't cranky and was already in bed and Sessho-Maru, who didn't have a bed)

Sessho-Maru woke up feeling familiar and strange. He, at first, had thought he was living by himself as usual, then remembered the previous week's events. Then, he realized he was sleeping in a fork of a tree's branches and that he wasn't as chilled by the snowfall that started very late at night, and something warm was sitting on him. He blinked his eyes to fully awaken himself—and met face-to-face with his little brother.

"Whoa!" he cried out loudly, startled. If blinking didn't help, this certainly did. Inu-Yasha, on the other hand, cocked his head in honest innocence. He awoke to find his mother still asleep, for it was quite early, though he felt refreshed because he wasn't stressed or enervated, _and _he got to sleep early (he _is _nearly a year old). Curious, he explored most of the castle and found nearly everyone all sleeping, snoozing, or snoring. Next, he wandered outside, sniffed for the white-haired boy's scent. (He still hasn't really understood that Sessho-Maru was his older brother, just that he smelled a bit similar to him and the Big-Dog-that-turns-into-man, or say, his father) Once he caught it, he scurried to a thicket near the palace and clambered up the bare tree that held Sessho-Maru. And there he was for the while, waiting for and staring at Sessho-Maru, not to mention sitting on him while he waited.

"Oh, it's you,"Sessho-Maru said, regaining his cool, as if nothing 'dramatic' had happened. All of a sudden, groans, yawns, and voices erupted all over and within the castle. _"Looks like they've started to awaken," _Sessho-Maru thought.

Izayoi stirred a bit, yawned, then rolled over. But something felt strange, missing. Like, where was the soft, warm bundle she slept with—

"INU-YASHA!" she yelled, bolting upright. "Inu-Yasha!" she called out, and then noticed the open door. "Oh no," the distressed mother moaned, "he could be anywhere. Taking deep breaths, thinking _"I can do this"_, Izayoi planned out her search method. The main idea was, _"Where would Inu-Yasha go first?"_ Even if he was wandering around for no reason, he must be drawn to somewhere sooner or later. _"Oh my goodness! What if somebody kidnapped him?"_ Izayoi thought, horrified. _"No, start searching first."_ So she changed into a gorgeous _sakura_ kimono and started her search. "_If he's hungry,"_ she thought, _"he would try to raid the kitchen." _So she went to ask the cooks if they've seen him. "Well," said one, "while I was sleeping, I heard some pitter-patter noises that seemed to head over there." The cook pointed toward the weapon room. "Oh **NO**!" Izayoi moaned once more, nearly fainting. He could get killed there! Quickly, she hurried to the weapon room, fearing for Inu-Yasha's life. When she arrived, she noticed the ancient weapon and armor cleaner, Yome, dusting off some of the old swords and picking up many that have fallen. Inu-Yasha _had _been here. "Old Yome?" she asked (respectfully?).

"Ah, Izayoi. Something seemed to walk in here and bumped into the swords. (Izayoi paled at this) As a result, some of the swords fell down, knocking another one off its holder in its wake, like dominos. Let me tell you, it was raining swords like an avalanche when I came in here, and now," Yome wailed, "I must pick up and place all the words back to their proper places _and _polish them! After causing so much damage (there wasn't so much as a scratch on the swords), the little beast took one and left toward the cleaning room! As if he weren't filthy enough!" And with that, Izayoi left for the cleaning room, leaving pitiful old Yome sobbing his eyes out (and getting not much done after that explanation, or rather, exclamation). Once there, the maids all seemed to be, no, **_are_** in a stormy mood. "What's the matter? What happened?" Izayoi asked, but already knew.

"Some dirty little rascal just walked in and not only knocked down every single clothing left to dry on that rope but spilled the washing tubs all over, making an already big mess bigger! Now we'll have to clean all this up and wash the clothes once again!" one of the maids screeched so loudly that everyone in the cleaning room had to plug their ears, but even that did not help. Feeling sorry for them and responsible for her son's actions, Izayoi offered to help but was turned down.

"We don't get paid for your help," said another one of the maids, "and you shouldn't sully your delicate hands in this water, my lady." Izayoi thanked her and continued to search for Inu-Yasha. Her first clue were the splotches of water left behind by his wet feet. (He _did _knock over every washing tub in the cleaning room) The trail led to the gathering hall. When she walked there, she noticed a rather strange shaped sword near the entrance outside. It hit her like a lightning bolt. This was the sword Inu-Yasha took from the weaponry room! It was oddly shaped because he was gnawing on it (it's become quite a habit now…recall from earlier)! Izayoi became even more dismayed. He was outside! How was she going to find him now? Glumly, she asked the samurais if they've seen a little white-haired and dog-eared boy. Most of them shook their heads and seemed to snicker about it, but a couple told her that they saw it walking to the cluster of trees behind the palace, although no one believed them (after all, how often do you see a demon toddling _out_ of a palace unharmed? (With the exception of Naraku)), so they thought they were hallucinating. Izayoi quickly thanked them as they said their, "No problem"s, quite puzzled, and she hoped Inu-Yasha was okay and hadn't wandered any farther when she reached the trees. At a glance, her mind went blank at which tree to search first. Then, she heard a sneeze.

"Ah-choo!" Inu-Yasha sneezed yet again as Sessho-Maru ducked and inched away yet again, though he was running out of room to scoot back to. He did not want his little brother's disgusting germs, even if demons didn't get sick.

At that sound, Izayoi focused her gaze in its direction, and in no time at all (quite a BIG difference than what she had estimated earlier), she noticed ther two brothers, Sessho-Maru 'calmly' cowering and Inu-Yasha ferociously sneezing, somehow at Sessho-Maru and unable to advert his direction. Izayoi was amused yet worried about this. Inu-Yasha was catching a cold! It could lead to pneumonia, then death! "Oh Inu-Yasha!" she desperately cried. "_Please_ come down!"

When Inu-Yasha at last looked down to see her, Sessho-Maru started to relax—until Inu-Yasha turned around to sneeze at him again. Caught off guard, he accidently shoved Inu-Yasha off the branch. Izayoi gasped and screamed; Sessho-Maru stared after him, mortified; Inu-Yasha laughed happily, unaware of the danger and only how fun it was as he sneezed into Sessho-Maru's horrified face once more.

"AAAAHHH!! **NOOOOO!!!**" Izayoi screamed.

"Hee hee ha ha!" Inu-Yasha giggled.

"Ugh," was all Sessho-Maru could utter.

Izayoi was sprinting. Inu-Yasha was falling (more rapidly now). Sessho-Maru was staring(but did not hesitate to groom himself of his brother's snot).

Please try to imagine this hectic yet too-simple-to-be-chaotic scene. Miraculously, he landed in her arms, as she rejoiced and he hiccupped.

"And no dinner for you tonight!" Izayoi shouted before slamming the iron door right in front of Sessho-Maru's face and stomped away. When the outraged mother was out of sight, Sessho-Maru flexed his claws and assaulted the metal bars. Although he managed to scratch them, they still held. Furious, he slashed at them in a flurry until his claws were blunt and bleeding. **–BEEP— **His nails hurt. The metal was **–BEEP— **hard. What did he do to deserve this? He hadn't pushed Inu-Yasha off the branch on purpose. And why did Inu-Yasha have to sneeze at him then? **–BEEP—…**

Just then, an appetizing aroma wafted into the dungeon. Sessho-Maru's mouth watered; he could tell it was teriyaki chicken. He then sighed and slumped down into a heap. His stomach was growling like crazy from the smell if not hunger, for the last time he ate was merely the week before. Great. He was going to starve here. If demons could starve. All because Inu-Yasha sneezed at him which caused him to push him off. And it wasn't like he became half-breed jam, either. But _nooo_, she thought he was trying to kill him and summoned all the palace guards to capture him and dump him into this prison cell. So Sessho-Maru sat there, feeling very sorry for himself. He could smell every dish delivered and every drink being served. He just sat there through it all, as they finished up, as they washed and prepared for bed. He sat there, waiting for hours and hours, for days and days, months and months, years and years, it seemed. Thoughts about suiciding ran through his mind, but were quickly dispelled. He could feel everyone ignoring him and despised that. Once they let him out, he decided, he would run away to somewhere far off and dangerous and make a name for himself. He would become so infamous that the very mention of his name would strike terror in the hearts of both humans and demons. He'd show them all…

Eventually, he drifted into sleep. And it was a nightmare of his plots. He was all-powerful and feared as he wished, but when he returned, everyone was attacking him. At first, he felt hurt, but then he returned to the joy of slaughter. First Toto-Sai and the lord of the palace, to whom he didn't care much, but then he found he couldn't stop. He killed Izayoi and Inu-Yasha, who stared at him with such sad eyes that his heart crumbled._"What have I done?" _Sessho-Maru thought, staring at his bloodsoaked hands. Out from the sky, the air swirled into a dark portal, from which his father leapt out and pinned him to the ground. Back from the dead, back for revenge.

"_This isn't what I meant!"_ Sessho-Maru screamed in his mind as Inu no Taisho aimed for his heart. _"This isn't what I want!"_

Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Sessho-Maru felt the pressure lessen, but couldn't get up.

Poke. Poke poke poke. "What?" Sessho-Maru grumbled miserably. "Just get it over with."

Tug. Tug tug. Then a sudden jerk. Sessho-Maru rolled over and hit something hard and instantly awoke. He noticed that what he hit was one of the bars._"It's just a dream,"_ he thought, sighing with relief. He then noticed Inu-Yasha on the other side. "Bra-br-br-bro-d-d-da," he stammered and held a leg of the teriyaki chicken from his supper. When Sessho-Maru saw his outstretched arm, he noticed a rather red and large bruise. He also noticed that his eye was bruised and that he was starting to cough now. Inu-Yasha probably had tried to sneak it out but was caught and beaten.

"Why, Inu-Yasha?" Sessho-Maru growled. "Why did you do it?"

"Br-broda," Inu-Yasha replied, smiling.

"You're not mad at me?" Sessho-Maru asked tentatively.

"Broda!" Inu-Yasha repeated, waving the chicken leg wildly then holding it out to Sessho-Maru once more. He gratefully took the leg and ravenously devoured it, tears starting to blur is eyes. "Inu-Yasha," he whispered as Inu-Yasha hugged him, and he hugged him back. The two brothers lay hugging, both on either side of the metal bars but not separated.

Izayoi descended the stairs. This was terrible. First of all, Inu-Yasha had gone missing once more. She asked everyone if they had seen him, and a cook did, but said he was stealing food and she beat him, muttering about 'ungrateful kids' and how there 'shouldn't be a half-breed' in the palace. She sighed as she reached the bottom of the dungeon. She was going to let Sessho-Maru out of there for two reasons: 1) Him being 'grounded' was over and 2) she needed his keen sense of smell to help her find Inu-Yasha. She was unsure if he would help, after all, she did suppose she was overreacting and being a bit too harsh on him over the accident. When she quietly walked towards his cell, she was surprised he hadn't already started snarling and swearing at her when he caught her scent. Upon arriving in front of his cell, she knew why. The sight she saw shocked her like a million volts yet warmed her like hot soup. Inu-Yasha was here all along, and he stole the scraps for Sessho-Maru, with the bone picked clean as evidence. The two brothers looked so calm and peaceful together; Izayoi dared not move for fear it would wake them. Both were leaning against each other, against the metal bars, their hair messy and hanging loose on their shoulders and each other. Most prominent were their hands. They were held together, tightly despite their sleep, as if they did not wish for their grasps to break. Inu-Yasha then started having a coughing fit and shivered from the cold breeze coming in from the open door of the prison. At this slight movement, Sessho-Maru began to stir and slowly blinked, swiveling his head to his little half-brother. Seeing that he was cold, he unwrapped the warm boa around his arm and draped it onto Inu-Yasha, who snuggled in it and hugged Sessho-Maru's arm tighter. Although he didn't show it, he was content and mentally smiling. Then he spotted Izayoi. He tried to growl, but no sound came out. He tried to move away from Inu-Yasha, but his body wouldn't obey him. He felt so weak and hungry and drowsy; he couldn't move away. Or he wouldn't. The exhausted demon drowsily blinked his eyes once more, then closed them and slowly slumped back against his brother. Izayoi watched them for a moment, and then sank to her knees and wept into her hands.

In the few following weeks, Sessho-Maru was allowed a mat in Izayoi's room, although reluctantly. Inu-Yasha and Izayoi came down with the cold and had to stay in bed, and Sessho-Maru had to keep watch over them. Gradually, they got better, and just in time, for it was nearing New Years, and the whole palace was preparing for the grand festivities and big feast. Naturally, Inu-Yasha and Sessho-Maru didn't understand, so Izayoi had to explain. "It's a celebration to welcome the coming of the new year."

"Why is that important?" Sessho-Maru asked, not seeing the point.

"Well, it represents the idea of turning over a new leaf, a chance to start over."

"Why would anyone want to start over?"

Izayoi sighed; he was just too dense.

So for the next week, everybody (including Sessho-Maru; he was forced into it) worked hard to prepare for the New Year's celebration.

**To be continued…**

**Author's Note:** Thank you so much for reviewing! It feels nice that people actually take the time to read my work (and it really is really long) and look forward to the next chapters. Sorry, Jester08, that Inu no Taisho had to die, but he died a valiant death! Anyhow, I was just wondering if it'd be more convenient if I divided my long chapters into parts, or if you'd prefer I leave it like this, 'cuz Ch.4 is _extremely _long. Till the next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4New Year Preparations, Part 1**

_**Hard work pays off in the long run**_

The preparations of the New Year's feast and festivities took the whole week. Even the villagers participated in the work. The whole village was celebrating.

**Day 1: **Sessho-Maru took Inu-Yasha out to hunt. He hunted in the woods nearest to the village and Inu-Yasha fished in a nearby lake. Both were becoming better hunters each and every day. Sessho-Maru made sure to avoid the other hunters as to avoid being hunted. Meanwhile, Izayoi helped put up decorations at the part of the palace farthest from the stables; the farmers were going to slaughter the farm animals and sent them to the kitchens to butcher, and Izayoi did not wish to witness the death of any living creature. Her father, as a lord, was doing the arranging and planning; the other farmers, preparing crops and vegetables; and everyone else, to their chosen assignments. Even the children worked, making kites, toys, and sweets and helping the adults in their work. Everyone worked until the day's end and went to bed tired but excited and anxious.

**Day 2: **Pretty much the same as Day 1, but the hunters scared away a deer Sessho-Maru was attempting to kill. Much to his predicament, the warriors tried to kill him instead because he was a demon, regardless of whether they recognized him or not. Poor Inu-Yasha was in pretty much the same situation. The fishermen had spread out around the freezing lake and one managed to glimpse him. His 'hallucination' was confirmed when he reeled in the half-breed by his hair. "Ku?" Inu-Yasha asked curiously before the shocked fisherman bellowed, "**OMG! A DEMON!!**" before flinging the puzzled half-breed back into the water, paddling away like a madman, muttering about cursed fishing spots. A short while later, Inu-Yasha's head popped up above the surface of the water and held onto the fish that swam into his mouth as he was underwater and swam to shore. His fishing was better; he had managed to catch a catfish, a couple of carps, and, yet again, fewer guppies which he instinctively threw back into the lake. Even though the lake water chilled you to the bone, it didn't freeze. Inu-Yasha had wondered why he was the only one swimming in it, unaware that the demon blood which flows through his veins enabled him to endure the cold.

At the beginning of dusk, Sessho-Maru, with his game, arrived to pick up Inu-Yasha with his fish. Together, they discreetly raced toward the palace within the shadows of the forest, although Inu-Yasha kept stumbling. They hurriedly handed their catch to the chef (Sessho-Maru sneaked some off for himself. Oh yeah, and for Inu-Yasha, too) and rushed to Izayoi's room. She was still busy helping the maids set up the decorations for the palace. Usually, the lady was too worn out to notice dust Sessho-Maru and filthy Inu-Yasha, but you just never know. If she saw how dirty he was, she would force him to take a bath. The maids would scrub him with needle-like brushes until his skin felt on fire and pull at his hair until he got a bald spot, or they would snip his hair until his head was bald or pour acid all over him, saying they thought it was water or—_do not think about it._ Sessho-Maru made a mental note to go to the lake with Inu-Yasha to wash off before he was tortured—er, 'washed'. After tucking Inu-Yasha in, Sessho-Maru hid under the covers until Izayoi walked in, looking like a zombie. Then, she collapsed on her bed and was immediately asleep as she hit the covers. Sessho-Maru, drained from the hunt, dozed off, too.

**Day 3: **The two dog demon brothers headed to the lake. Because Inu-Yasha went there daily, he was clean until they returned to the palace. Sessho-Maru, on the contrary, hadn't washed for days. So, today, he hunted with his brother, always swimming far from the eyes of fishermen. With his help, Inu-Yasha caught a lot more fish. The samurais had to admit that they were quite impressive; even all the fishermen combined couldn't beat the sum that they brought back day after day.

Fortunately, Lady Luck had favored them this day. Izayoi, who finished the decorations, greeted them and complimented them on how clean they were. "You know," she said cheerfully, "if you two weren't clean, I would've had the maids wash you! After all, you are mature enough to care for yourself, Sessho-Maru. I am glad that you made sure that Inu-Yasha was clean too!" On and on she rambled as Sessho-Maru sighed with relief. He had walked out in the open just so he and Inu-Yasha wouldn't get dirty after they've just cleaned. Luckily, the villagers didn't throw thing too hard and had such terrible coordination, otherwise they would've barely escaped with their lives, not to mention staying clean…

"Ah…ah…ah**CHOO!"** Inu-Yasha sneezed, sending the fish he was carrying flying all over the place. Sessho-Maru swiftly zigzagged to catch the dropping fish. Consequently, he caught some or missed them altogether.

"Oh Sessho-Maru!" Izayoi exclaimed, surprised. "You better give those fish to the cook; I'm sure they're quite heavy." Sessho-Maru nodded (at least _tried _to nod), but no one could see it from the pile of fish blocking his face. Hurriedly yet carefully, he walked towards the kitchen.

"Achoo!" the ill half-breed sneezed again.

"Come, Inu-Yasha," his mother said softly, "let's warm up in our room." Inu-Yasha, imitating Sessho-Maru's nod (well, he saw it), following her. When they reached the bedroom, Izayoi started rummaging through a trunk and pulled out a flame-red kimono and helped Inu-Yasha put it on. "This is a kimono made of fire rats' fur," she told him as he stared at her with a strange understanding in his eyes. "It will protect you from heat and cold and some attacks." Just then, Sessho-Maru walked in, smelling strongly of fish.

"Oh yes!" Izayoi exclaimed, ignoring the smell. "Tomorrow, because of all the fish you brought us, you get the day off! So I'm going to bring you and introduce you to the villagers." Inu-Yasha clapped his hands vigorously as Sessho-Maru paled; the encounter today was enough already, but being with the stinky humans for a whole day was even worse. (As if he could talk; he _is_ smelling terrible at the very moment)

With that said, they crept into bed.

**Day 4: **Sessho-Maru and Inu-Yasha washed at the palace, though fortunately by themselves (to Sessho-Maru's relief) because all the maids were currently occupied. After washing, they headed out to the village. All the villagers outside saw Izayoi and her guards and began to bow. She then signaled them to rise, and as they did, one began, "What brings you here—" until he noticed the two demon brothers. "Ahhh! Demon lads! What are they doing with Lady Izayoi?!"

"Perhaps they have possessed the Lady!" said another.

"Then what are we waiting for?" asked one other. "We must save her!"

"Stop!" Izayoi commanded. "These are my sons—"

"They truly have her under their control!"

"**STOP**," a strong voice ordered. A beautiful woman appeared, her clear eyes flashing and silky long black hair flowing in the wind. Although not too thin or fat, she was unusually small and pale. "Bring those two lads here." All of the villagers scooted out of the way in a fearful rush, and Sessho-Maru managed to catch some murmurs from them.

"That's Saminoke!"

"They all-seeing priestess?"

"Such a good time that she's arrived!"

"But why is she here?"

"I hear she's here for the festival."

"The festival, or the demons?"

"The almighty priestess!"

"She'll see through their lies."

"I've wondered if that village had forgotten about us."

"**SILENCE!**" she yelled, and the villagers shut up immediately.

"_She must be quite powerful,"_ Sessho-Maru thought.

"Come closer you two," she said more softly and gently to Inu-Yasha and Sessho-Maru. Sessho-Maru coolly walked towards the priestess as Inu-Yasha followed in suit, timidly behind him. She merely glanced at them for a brief moment before bursting out in laughter.

"What's so funny?" a villager dared question.

"Well, their potentially dangerous," she commented after regaining her calm. "But at this stage, they're quite harmless. It should've been obvious." She playfully tugged at Inu-Yasha's little puppy ears as he tried to stop her, though to no avail. The villagers stared in awe and became a little sheepish, but some cried out incredulously, "You mean they're innocent?"

Saminoke rolled her eyes. "Yes, didn't you hear me the first time? They're _harmless._

"So, Lady Izayoi, what brings you here?" the priestess inquired.

"I may ask you the same thing, Priestess Saminoke," Izayoi replied.

"Fine. I shall start first. Well, we heard that your palace was burned down, and our prosperous village arrived to help. After getting rid of the fire, your father invited our village to celebrate with him at New Year's. I just came here to see if I could be of any assistance. And it appears you've been found at last. But where have you gotten these demon children?"

"Actually, they are my children, or at least Inu-Yasha is," Izayoi admitted, putting her hand on the smaller demon's shoulder. The priestess arched an eyebrow. "Did you…?" she began as Izayoi nodded. "I loved and married a dog demon named Inu no Taisho, Lord of the Western Lands. He is now dead, for me, and I am widowed." The villagers either fainted, paled, gasped in shock, or did a combination of the above when they heard this. Their respected lady, married to a demon? In their state, they did not see the painful tears that welled up in Izayoi's eyes as she gripped Inu-Yasha's shoulders tightly and he held her hand but sneezed, this time not because of a cold. Sessho-Maru sensed it too; Izayoi was about to cry, and demons did not like tears. Hopefully, it would end soon. Perhaps if he held his breath and pinched his nose…

"I understand how you feel," Saminoke said quietly, and everything was silent except for Izayoi's sobbing. (Inu-Yasha was, yet again, imitating his older brother) It was quiet for a while, and Sessho-Maru knew he was turning beet red from lack of oxygen and was desperately praying that she would stop or else he'd explode from holding in all that air. Ironically, his prayers were answered as Izayoi stopped crying and laughed at the turning purple Sessho-Maru and at Inu-Yasha's act of imitating him. Sessho-Maru let go and gasped for air (that means Inu-Yasha, too, but he didn't need to gasp for air because he was more fortunate than his big brother; he wasn't holding it for that long and wasn't really holding his breath properly in the first place) as Izayoi began speaking. "I'm sorry to have bothered you, but I thought that perhaps these two—" she placed one hand on each shoulder. Sessho-Maru had to use all of his will power to resist the urge to shrug it off and inch **_far_** away—"could meet all of you and get to know each other better." All of a sudden, a girl burst out of her house and called out, "Ma! The rice is ready!" and noticed the crowd. "Oh! The lady is here!" she exclaimed and bowed her respects. When she rose to her feet, she glimpsed Inu-Yasha. "Oh wow! He's so adorable!" She picked him up, cuddling and tickling him, showing no fear of him at all. Sessho-Maru used this distraction to scoot…_very far away_. The girl's mother screamed. "Sachiko! Don't touch it! Drop it right now! And don't get near it ever again!" Inu-Yasha looked at her with such large, innocent eyes, and her voice faltered a bit.

"How rude, calling him an 'it'," Saminoke muttered.

"But _Ma_," Sachiko whined. "What's wrong with him?"

"He's a half-breed! And you know what I told you about them! That infant's tainted with demon blood!" her mother screeched.

"**Be quiet**," Saminoke hissed quietly yet firmly. Izayoi was astonished. This woman kept her calm and could command with a quiet word (or phrase, in this case), and just as effectively as one would yell. "I'm sick and tired of listening to all your complaints. EVERYONE'S! None of these demons are doing anything wrong (one of them's run off), and I'll be here to exorcise them or whatever when they do! Seriously! Anybody else?" No one dared make a sound. "GOOD!"

_Growl._ Everyone looked at Inu-Yasha.

"Oh!" Sachiko exclaimed. "He must be hungry!" And she dashed into her house with him in her arms. Her mother turned to face Izayoi. "Fine," she sighed submissively. "I shall give those demons a chance. But just **ONE**!"

She then walked into her abode to help her daughter.

"Priestess Saminoke," Izayoi called, "thank you for helping my son. But why did you do it?"

"Because," Saminoke said softly, "I see into the hearts of men and beasts. I am the priestess of truth, and I judge fairly. It is not just to discriminate others by merely what they appear to be."

"May I return your favor? What would you like?" Izayoi asked.

"For warm housing and plentiful food," the priestess replied.

"Come stay with us at our new palace, then."

"Oh, it would be a pleasure."

"Guards," Izayoi commanded. "Please escort Priestess Saminoke back to the palace. A couple of you shall stay." With that, the soldiers ushered her along the way.

"Sessho-Maru," Izayoi called, "you can come out of hiding now!"

"I was **_not _**hiding," he grumbled as-a-matter-of-factly and held up two hares as evidence. Izayoi smiled sheepishly; she was so sure he chickened out and ran away!

"Hey!" a voice boomed. "You're a demon, right?" Both turned to look at the villager. He was slightly skinny and was extremely tall, perhaps about 6 to 7 feet in height. "Pleased to meet you, Lady Izayoi, and you, young demon. (Sessho-Maru twitched)" The tall youth bowed with a wide sweep. "I'm Kirotama, but you may call me Kiro. Now that that peace agreement has been made by the very persuasive if not eloquent priestess, I challenge you, demon kid."

"The name is Sessho-Maru, and I accept your challenge," Sessho-Maru said smoothly, not aware that the challenge hadn't been named yet, just that he was going to win, obviously.

Kiro laughed. "Ha! I always wanted to compete with a demon, and now's my chance! So far, I'm the fastest in this area; no one yet could beat me! So I challenge you to a race through the forest."

"No one** _yet_**," Sessho-maru replied. "And the forest course is fine. Name your start and destination."

"The large pine in the very heart of the forest. We start here." _"Heh,"_ Kiro thought. _"I've been here _**way **_longer than that demon! I know it like the back of my hand!"_

"_Hmph. Pathetic human,"_ Sessho-Maru thought. _"I've been hunting in and memorized every spot. I have a clear advantage. No way that human will beat me, even if he _is_ taller."_

Unknowingly, they held the same thoughts. Izayoi secretly hid a smile. These two glared at each other as it they thought they had the advantage.

"Kirotama!" another voice bellowed.

"Uh-oh," Kiro said. "Guess I better go. My father's calling. Here's a sample for tomorrow." And with that, he sped away. Izayoi's eyes widened. He was so fast! And she had never seen Sessho-Maru run. She couldn't wait for tomorrow.

Sessho-Maru's heart skipped a beat, but he retained his calm composure. He wasn't worried. He would beat that **–BEEP—**. He looked forward to tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Inu-Yasha just finished a bowl of rice and fish.

"Urp," he burped. Sachiko's mother looked at him disgustingly but said nothing.

"Do you want more?" Sachiko asked. The little half-breed shook his head. Sachiko was entranced by his ears when they flopped back and forth along with his head. She then reached and tugged his ears. "Oh! They're so soft!" she cried, astonished. Inu-Yasha crawled to another spot and settled there. He yawned and his eyelids drooped. Soon, he fell asleep. Sachiko smiled and drooped his hair. He reminded her of her little brother, who—she gasped as her heart lurched painfully. No. She didn't want to remember that horrendous day. Sachiko lifted Inu-Yasha up and hugged him tightly as she felt tears coming into her eyes and blurring her vision. Inu-Yasha's sensitive nose twitched, but he didn't stir.

Drip.

Drop.

Plop.

Sachiko cried softly and held onto Inu-Yasha closely.

"Sachiko, what's the matter?" her mother called as she entered the room. "It's not that wretched demon, is it?"

Sachiko shook her head. "Little…Peeko…"

"Oh, I'm sorry, dear," her mother cooed, drawing her onto her lap and sung a lullaby, and before long, she was fast asleep.

Izayoi and Sessho-Maru walked in. They noticed Inu-Yasha and Sachiko sleeping peacefully on Sachiko's mother's lap. "Welcome to our humble home, Lady Izayoi," the mother greeted them. _"Poor child,"_ Izayoi thought, looking at her red, puffy eyes and tears.

"_Ugh. All this terrible smell. She's been crying," _Sessho-Maru thought repulsively, wrinkling his nose. _"Great. First I have to deal with these humans' stench and now _**this**_."_

Just then, the young girl stirred. "Oh," she said and rubbed her eyes, "you've come to pick him up." She then crept off her mother's lap and carried the sleeping baby to Izayoi. "Thank you for letting him stay with us and have a safe trip back to your palace," she said humbly.

"No, thank _you_," Izayoi smiled, handing several coins to the girl. "Please accept my payment for feeding him and your kindness." She turned around headed out of the home.

"Wait." Izayoi paused, then turned around. It was Sachiko's mother who was speaking. "Lady Izayoi, I-I would like to apologize to you for what I've said about your son earlier. Will you forgive me?"

Izayoi smiled, as did Sachiko. "Gladly."

Sachiko watched them until they were out of sight and whispered, "Oh, please let Inu-Yasha be safe." After the prayer, she returned to her house and laid on her bed, awaiting slumber.

**Author's Note: **How did you like the first four days? Since nobody seemed to care about how I post up my chapters, I decided to cut Chapter 4 in half (honestly, it's _reaaaally _long; these first four days are the short half), so next week I'll post up the other half. This chapter part may seem pretty short, but wait till you read the second part! Ooooooh! And Chapter 5 is even longer!!


	5. Chapter 4, Part 2

**Chapter 4, Part 2**

**_Just as things start to look up, they fall down._**

**Day 5: **Sessho-Maru cracked his knuckles. He and Kiro were going to compete this morning. Inu-Yasha attempted to copy him, but because his bones weren't properly developed, his knuckles made no sound. Because Izayoi had to stay behind to help the palace's finishing touches, Inu-Yasha was to come along with Sessho-Maru. "Go root for your big brother, Sessho-Maru, for me, please," Izayoi told her son, feeling depressed that she should miss out. He didn't really get it, but he seemed to understand.

"Go beeg broad! Root fo Shesho-molu!" Inu-Yasha chanted along the way. Although it should have been irritating, Sessho-Maru found himself smiling with pleasure—no, smirking with pleasure. He had practiced until early dawn, then rested. He felt quite confident.

Finally, they arrived. Amazingly, the village was still bustling with life, even this early in the morning.

"Oh! Inu-Yasha! Sessho-Maru! There you are!" Sachiko shouted enthusiastically and ran towards them. (Not nearly as fast as Kiro, though) "I've been looking for you all over! C'mon! Kiro's waiting! Oh, and good luck, Sessho-Maru! Kiro's really fast. I'm not kidding!" The young girl expertly weaved them through the mass of people. Sessho-Maru noted that Sachiko was gripping his half-brother's arm firmer than necessary. He wondered what she was so worried about.

At last, they met up with Kiro and another boy. "So, Sessho-Maru," Kiro said, "you've finally arrived. This is Toma. He's my friend and Sachiko's older brother." But Toma refused to greet them and instead hotly questioned, "How could you be so friendly with them? I don't understand. They're demons, and once demons, always demons!"

"Be at peace, Toma," Kiro answered gently. "Did you not hear the wise words of the priestess? We must give them a chance! Do not act like the fools who have bullied you!" Toma said not one word else after that, but still had a troubled and worried look, as if this were something illegal.

"Kiro, we will be waiting for you at the pine. Toma will give you the starting signal," Sachiko instructed brightly to make up for her brother's gloom.

"The same?"

"Yes."

"Okay, good. Go!"

So Sachiko and Toma, along with Inu-Yasha, hurried into the bright forest, with Toma leading and Sachiko guiding Inu-Yasha. The two adversaries waited awhile, nothing but the morning birds' chirps were heard. All of a sudden, without warning, a sharp, shrill sound erupted from deep within the forest. Instantly, the competitors headed towards the woods, their speed evenly matched. When they reached inside, their sight of each other was cut off from the myriads of both bare and needle-leaf trees and blinding snow. Both were pinpointing their location and the trees on a map in their memory. Both had unlike advantages. For Sessho-Maru, he could trace and follow the whistle to its origin. Kirotama, on the other hand, had gone through this route to the tree numerous times. They hurtled through the brush and trees, sometimes a bit ahead, sometimes head to head.

In the interim, the trio was sitting at the base of the pine tree, awaiting the arrivals of the two racers. In the meantime, Inu-Yasha was still chanting, "Go beeg broad! Root fo Shesho-molu!" Sachiko giggled; as a baby, he was so silly yet cute! She remembered the time when her little brother was—

She trembled and tried to resist the tears gathering in her eyes. Inu-Yasha noticed and stopped chanting. He then slowly crawled over to her and patted her reassuringly. Toma saw the half-breed's kind spirit and was ashamed of what he said earlier. Then, several rustles broke out around them. "They're here," Sachiko remarked, not before giving Inu-Yasha a smile and wiping her tears. Unexpectedly, a couple pairs of hands reached and clutched Sachiko and Inu-Yasha, muffling her screams. "Sachiko!" her older brother cried. At that exact moment, Sessho-Maru and Kirotama crashed through, blocking Toma's path. "So," Kiro huffed, "who won?"

"I think you two tied, but look, that's not important right now! My little sister and your little brother's been kidnapped!" Both of the runners paled (though Kiro's red face paled to pink). "How're we gonna find them—"

"They were carried this way," Sessho-Maru stated, pointing to the path that led even deeper into the woods and was thicker with coniferous trees. "Let's go then," Kiro said as they followed Sessho-Maru.

"Mm mm mmf!" Sachiko cried through the cloth bound at her mouth, thrashing with all her might but to no prevail. (She tried to say, "Let me go!") Inu-Yasha managed to shove his head from beneath his kidnapper's arm and bit down. **HARD**.

"YEEOOOOOWW!!" the man yelped as Inu-Yasha struggled free and scampered under a bush. When Sachiko saw this, her fear dropped considerably. He would be safe for now.

"You let'm get away!" the girl's captor shouted at Inu-Yasha's.

"Well, at least we got the wench," he replied, and they trudged on. As quietly as he could, Inu-Yasha scratched a mark on the tree for the others. Surely they must be tracking them right now. Discreetly, he tailed the captors, marking a tree between intervals. They still held Sachiko captive.

Meanwhile, the group of three was still tracking their siblings.

Sniff sniff. "They've just passed here not long ago," Sessho-Maru remarked.

"Your brother seems to have left a trail of scratches, too," Kiro observed.

"I hope Sachiko is all right," Toma hoped worriedly.

So, following their scent and scratched trail, the threesome emerged from the forest and into a white winter wonderland.

"Gosh!" Kiro exclaimed. "It's so white and beautiful here!"

"Not to mention cold," Toma said, shivering.

"You humans are pathetic, already shivering," Sessho-Maru commented.

"Sessho-Maru, you know we aren't up to your standards, but let's not start a fight."

"Yeah," Toma agreed. "Instead of standing here and getting snowed on, how about we continue searching? We're wasting precious time!"

"Ah, not to worry, Toma. If you happened to notice, there's snow here, which means they'll leave tracks! We'll just follow them from a safe distance and when they're gone, we'll take your sister and your brother back."

"If _you _hadn't noticed, it's snowing, which means that their footprints will be buried right after their feet leaves the spot!"

"Yes. And to my opinion, we should ambush them to save the trouble of walking the full distance back. Besides, if we stray too far, we shall get lost."

"That makes sense, Sessho-Maru, but there's nothing to mark our way! There's only endless white in every direction, and even if we leave something behind, the snow'll cover it, ten seconds flat!"

"Then what're we doing here, waiting to be buried? Let's stop arguing and just go!"

So the three dreary companions continued on their quest.

Back to the captured now. While they were still in the forest, Inu-Yasha had plenty of trees to scratch. But now, out in this field of snow, he had no idea how he was going to help his 'broda' find him. Just a couple of minutes ago, he could smell them just fine. But when he followed the captors out into the snow and farther, the scent was blurry and soon he couldn't smell them at all. All he could smell was snow, snow, and snow. He had to rely on his eyesight to tail the kidnappers, but even that was difficult, due to the flurry of snowflakes in the snowstorm. Suddenly, they stopped. Quietly, Inu-Yasha inched closer. They seemed to be taking a break and were starting a campfire. As they ignited the twigs, Inu-Yasha smelled the twigs burning and realized something. If he could clearly smell the smoke now, then surely can 'broda'!

Sniff. "Hey, I smell smoke," Sessho-Maru commented, stopping. Consequently, Kiro walked into him, and Toma into Kiro, causing them to collapse over each other, with Sessho-Maru on the bottom.

"Ow! Get off me! You're pulling my hair! OWWW!"

"Well, Sessho-Maru, it's your fault for stopping so suddenly."

"It's your fault for not paying attention, **–BEEP—!**"

On and on they bickered and squabbled, with Toma conveniently sitting on top. "You two sure fight a lot for just-meets," he sighed hopelessly.

"Whatever. Just get off me already! I swear, I probably had ten strands of hair pulled out!"

"Who's there?!" a croaky voice ranged out. The pile of three stayed _very_ still and quiet. _"_**–BEEP—**,_" _Sessho-Maru thought. _"My hair's not going to make it!"_

"You're right, Sessho-Maru!" Kiro whispered. "I smell the smoke too!"

"Told you so," Sessho-Maru smirked. "You humans are so slow at everything."

"Actually, I think Kiro won."

"Now's not the time for exchanging insults."

While they were whispering to each other, the man caught sight of them. They felt his stare and immediately shut up as they slowly looked up.

"A bunch of kids, eh? More for ransom and slaving!" The ugly man laughed.

"GET-OFF-OF-ME," Sessho-Maru growled to them once again.

"Oof!" the two friends uttered as Sessho-Maru rose and they tumbled down.

"Whatcha gonna do to me, little girl?" the man sneered. Kiro and Toma gasped; the guy thought Sessho-Maru was a girl! Sessho-Maru's eyebrows twitched furiously and he growled. "You'll pay for that, you filthy mortal!" he screeched as he clawed the man to ribbons. Or so he thought. Actually, he missed. Everything was still for the first few seconds; Sessho-Maru taking in that he missed, the two boys realizing that Sessho-Maru had attempted and failed to kill their aggressor, and the aggressor at first fearing for his life at the sight of the 'little girl's unusually long nails, then seeing that 'she' had missed. "AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" the man laughed coarsely. "Nice try, sissy, but you missed!" Kiro and Toma struggle to keep their faces straight. Sessho-Maru was trying not to burn from embarrassment. Trying again, he transformed into his dog form and pounced onto the man. The poor guy screamed as the two friends watched, astounded, then grimacing. Dog-Sessho-Maru clawed and bit him until he was bleeding and unconscious.

"Sessho-Maru," Kiro began. "I never knew you could turn into such a cute dog!" And with that, he scooped the dog demon up and began hugging and petting and stroking and cuddling him. _"Cute? CUTE? **CUTE?!**" _Sessho-Maru thought angrily as he bit down on Kiro's shoulder. **HARD.**

"YEEEOOOOOWWWW!!" Kiro yelped.

"I am a demon," Sessho-Maru snarled, "not a doggy-pet." All of a sudden, Sessho-Maru perked his ears.

"What is it?" Toma asked, supporting the bleeding and weeping Kiro.

"Someone," Sessho-Maru replied, "is calling my name." Immediately, he dashed across the snow to the origin of the smoke. Kiro and Toma followed in pursuit, but not before piling snow on the unconscious kidnapper, burying him. The poor guy may no awaken ever again. "Wait up a bit!" they called.

As Sessho-Maru approached the campfire, he smelled something else. Inu-Yasha. Soon, he saw his half-brother bound towards him. "Broda!" he whispered gleefully.

"So you escaped?" Sessho-Maru asked.

Inu-Yasha nodded. "Sachiko," he said, pointing to the remaining man at the campfire.

"Okay," Sessho-Maru murmured. "This is what we're going to do—"

"Hey Sessho-Maru—"

"_SHHHHHHHH!" _three people shushed right up in front of Kiro's face.

"Okay, okay!" he whispered. "So you've changed back, Sessho-Maru?" he asked, sounding slightly disappointed.

"Yes. And I have a plan on how to rescue your sister, Toma. Alright, here it is." And he told them his plan.

"It's too risky!" Kiro exclaimed as everyone shushed him again.

"Yes, but at least we'll get Toma's sister and not take all night," Sessho-Maru countered.

"Let's get to work," said Toma.

Sessho-Maru was in his dog form, snarling at the captor. "Stupid dog," the man muttered. Enraged, he lunged at him. Inu-Yasha, who also joined in, gave him a handful. Such a handful that he was oblivious of the speeding Kiro, who searched his tent for Sachiko. It didn't take too long, for the tent was small, and he found her tightly bound in a corner. Hoisting Sachiko on his shoulder, he ran far from there to Toma. "Got her," he said. "Untie her ropes while I help those two demon brothers out the fight."

But when he reached there, he saw that the man was already unconscious as the partners high-fived.

"We got her," he told them. "Let's go."

When they returned, Toma had managed to untie all his sister's bounds and she was already up on her feet.

"We better go soon, before it gets too dark and cold," Kiro mentioned. "So let's start now."

"In which direction?"

"Um…" Kiro scanned the endless white plane. "There!" he shouted, pointing to a random direction.

"And what possessed you to choose that direction?"

"Yeah! Make a sensible choice. We don't want to get lost!"

"Well, some direction is better than none!"

"Fine, but don't say I didn't tell you."

"Oh, let's just go already!"

They set off.

One and a half hours later…

"I think we're circling!"

"I think we're lost!"

"I think we're doomed!"

"I think we need a plan. Sessho-Maru, you shall be our leader, our navigator, and our protector."

"Then what are the rest of you?"

"We're your faithful followers! We believe in you! We'll just follow you and hope you don't get us even more lost than we already are!"

"I'll lead you off a cliff."

"Oh, don't start another fight, guys!"

"Yup, you two certainly are hopeless."

"Go, beeg broda!"

"Hey, I think I saw a white bird…"

"Um…should we get going…?"

"ARGH—"

Giggle.

"Wha…who was that?" Kiro asked.

"Hello," a musical voice tinkled. Everyone whirled around and gasped. An elegant fowl glided past them and perched on a figure's shoulder. They could tell immediately that the figure standing before them was a demoness, and a beautiful one at that. Even more surprisingly, she looked like Sessho-Maru!!! The same hair, same moon, same stripes!

"You don't recognize me, do you, Sessho-Maru?" the demoness asked. Sessho-Maru opened his mouth, but no words came out. He was utterly speechless and as still as a statue.

"Heh, dear Sessho-Maru, you look almost like your mother and a little like your father."

"M-Mother?" he gaped.

"You're probably wondering why I look so much like her, don't you? I suppose she wouldn't bring up that she had a twin," the demoness said sadly. "I am Yukino, demoness of the snow. To put it simply, I'm your auntie."

"Auntie," Sessho-Maru whispered, looking ready to faint.

"Whoa! You're his auntie?!" Kiro asked; she was so beautiful!

"Yes, and I understand you are lost?" she asked.

"That's right," Sachiko sighed. "We feared we were wandering in circles."

The bird atop Yukino's shoulder seemed to mutter into its mistress's ear. "Actually," she giggled, "you went more like this—" And she traced a diagram of complex twists and turns, which all landed back at the spot they started.

"Oh **_NO_**!" Toma cried, slapping his forehead. "We were going around in a complex circle!"

"I shall guide you back," Yukino offered, "but only up to the woods; this snow is my domain." And with that, they traveled for quite a while, and finally, they reached the forest.

"Thank you, Yukino!" Sachiko cried gratefully.

"Oh, and Sessho-Maru," Yukino whispered only to him, "that scarf your mother passed down has special abilities. You could have used it to transport yourself here." Sessho-Maru groaned. She waited until they walked all the way out to tell him! "See you later , nephew," she breathed before disappearing into the snow.

"Better get going," Toma said. "Our parents must be extremely worried."

So each one of them headed home.

At the village, the children were welcomed with warm arms and tears. You see, what happens to one person of the village, the whole village will be there for them. For example, a dying man in his sickbed. The days before his death, the villagers try to make the rest of his life as pleasant as possible for him. After his death day, the whole village mourns his death. So when the three children returned, the villager's fears were dispelled as they began to fuss over them. But for Inu-Yasha and Sessho-Maru, they weren't so lucky. The only one to welcome them back was none other than Izayoi, who came out with tears in her eyes as she embraced the two brothers. "I was so worried!" Izayoi wailed. "I thought you've been hurt, or gotten yourselves lost, or even worse, _kidnapped_!"

"All of the above," Sessho-Maru grumbled as he squirmed inside her embrace. He wasn't comfortable like this, especially in front of all the guards and was beginning to think perhaps no one worrying about him was better. His half-brother, on the other hand, was overjoyed and cried, "Ma!" and the whole group hugged, with a relieved Izayoi, happy Inu-Yasha, and a gruffy Sessho-Maru. But with happiness comes sorrow.

"Sessho-Maru, how could you let your brother get kidnapped? And then get lost? It's only a relief that you two aren't badly hurt."

Sessho-Maru said nothing.

"Tomorrow, you will stay in your room along with Inu-Yasha. No going outside. I will provide cards and games for your entertainment. No breaking anything, especially the door, because it'll be locked. I'll have a maid bring you food at meal times. Am I clear?" The two brothers nodded in unison.

"Good. Now, have a good rest." She tucked them into bed and bent down to kiss Inu-Yasha's head (Sessho-Maru's disappeared beneath the covers).

That night, Sessho-Maru didn't get a wink of sleep (not that he needed any) for in his head, he was devising a plan to escape the home prison. If he escaped now, Izayoi would have an army of palace guards out looking for him and ground him for a week rather than a day, and he would have to spend the day hiding, If he faked sick, she would: 1) not believe him, 2) fuss over him and there'd be so many maids that he probably would not make one step out of bed before someone notices him and eat yucky herbs and medicines. Even if he had a substitute, he would need to break out, which would alert Izayoi, and once again, he'll be punished. Soon, it was dawn, and Sessho-Maru had not one idea in his head.

**Day 6: **Sessho-Maru was in a stormy mood. He wasn't made to be cooped up in a tiny room! Even Inu-Yasha seemed crestfallen. He wouldn't get to go out to play today! Both brothers ate their breakfast sulkily and played a few board games without much enthusiasm. The only amusing thing that happened was when Inu-Yasha slipped on a stack of cards and fell onto a board game. He fell on it so hard that the force sent the pieces flying, countering the cards that flew up when he slipped on them. The collision sent them falling, but when Inu-Yasha got up, they bounced off the top of his head to the direction of Sessho-Maru's head. He expertly knocked them aside and they flew out of the window. A painful scream could be heard from the background. Sessho-Maru knew that they couldn't fit through the window, but if they didn't retrieve the cards and game pieces, Izayoi would wonder where they went and they'd be in major trouble. Ironically, at that exact moment, Izayoi peeked into their room, smiling, and remarked, "My, you seem to be having so much fun!" and carried on walking. Sessho-Maru breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't noticed. Yet. Inu-Yasha and Sessho-Maru stared at each other in dismay. "This was a cursed, wretched day from the start!" Sessho-Maru snarled.

On the contrary, Kirotama, Toma, and Sachiko were having a better day. Scratch that, theirs was the best. They got to play outside all day, and found a mysterious old man who was trapped under a fallen tree trunk. He moaned and groaned but did not make a cry for help, which was quite peculiar. Heaving the heavy trunk, they combined strength of the three uplifted it. The man thanked them and gave them an amber stone. "It will grant any of you three wishes. I thank you once again for your kindness." And with that message, he poofed into thin air and was gone.

"Wow! Who was that man?" Toma asked, astounded.

"I don't know, but we get three wishes! Since there's three of us, let's split it up and we each get one wish!" suggested Sachiko.

"Ah, today is such a great day! I wish it would never end!" Kiro said rather recklessly. The stone glowed warm and shot a beam of light at the setting sun, as if to hold it in place. The three friends' mouths dropped, bewildered.

"Oops," Kiro chuckled nervously. "My bad."

"No, it's great! Today really is a great day! If only Inu-Yasha and Sessho-Maru were here…"

"Yeah…I wonder what they're doing and how they're faring…"

Sessho-Maru was not faring well. He wasn't really doing anything except going ballistic. It was weird, though. The sun was setting and the day was ending! Sessho-Maru was feverish with excitement. Tomorrow, his grounding would be over! Then, out of nowhere, a beam of light seemed to stop the sun and freeze it just before it hit the horizon.

"**_NOOOOOOOOOO!!_**" Sessho-Maru mentally screamed. (He has become insane from this punishment) If the sun doesn't go down, the day doesn't go away either. And that is how Sessho-Maru became sick. Sick from anxiety , stress, and despair.

From Inu-Yasha's point of view:

'Broda' was turning pale and red at the same time (but not pink, snicker). He was sweating profusely and his eyes became glazed. He could understand why 'Broda' was upset; he, too, did not like being stuck in here for the whole. It was frustrating. But 'Broda' was going beyond his limits. Slump. Inu-Yasha turned to see him seemingly asleep, but strangely. His eyes swirled as if dizzy. He was breathing hard and sweating even more (if that was possible), with his skin an unhealthy shade. Even the moon on his forehead was a sickly color. Inu-Yasha could tell 'Broda' needed medical attention. But before he could even yell for help, another strange thing happened. There was a bright light surrounding them, and soon, it closed up and then dissipated, revealing the three kids from yesterday. "Coo?" he asked, puzzled.

Sachiko looked at the stone. She wished that the two brothers could be here with them; it wasn't as fun without them…

_Shhhhiiiing!_ A ball of light shot out of the stone and went in the direction of the palace. After a while, it flashed in front of them, with Inu-Yasha staring curiously at them and a sleeping (?) Sessho-Maru. Wait. Was he sleeping…?

"Hey Sachiko. You wished for them, didn't you?" asked Kiro.

"I didn't say it aloud…"

"That's all right! Now we can play with them. Except…what happened to Sessho-Maru?"

Inu-Yasha pointed to the zapped sun, then to his brother and garbled, "Day no stob. Stug een room. No go out. Day ova furst. Ba day no stob. Broda ub-sed. Fal." He demonstrated how 'Broda' fell.

The three kids realized what they had done. Sessho-Maru and Inu-Yasha were grounded, most likely because of the adventure yesterday. Both of them didn't like or want to be stuck in their room and were desperately waiting for nightfall and next morning. Kiro stopped time when he stopped the sun. Because of this, tomorrow would never come, and Sessho-Maru fainted in stress. If Sachiko hadn't wished them here, who knows what would've happened.

"Oh no! Kiro! Sachiko! Get a fan for him! And some water! Quick!"

"What're _you_ going to do, Toma?"

"I'll use the last wish to unzap the sun," Toma replied, then sighed. He was always the one who had to fix things.

"Okay," Kiro sighed, too; if he hadn't made that rash wish, they could've wished for something better!

"I wish," Toma said solemnly, "that the day would continue normally."

The amber stone seemed to swallow it beam, then glow dim and became a dull, normal stone.

"This is a strange stone," Toma said breathlessly as the sun finally set.

"I never knew that demons could get ill," Sachiko remarked while fanning Sessho-Maru.

"Yeah," Kiro agreed, dumping ice-cold water on him.

"Huh? Wha?!" Sessho-Maru spluttered.

"Oh." Kiro tried not to snicker. "He's awake."

"Ow…" Sessho-Maru moaned as he slumped again. His head hurt and his body felt so weak and hot, like it was burning. Inu-Yasha tugged his sleeve. "Pretty?" he asked, pointing to the sunset.

"Yeah…" Sessho-Maru murmured. "It's so…zzzzzzzz" He never got to finish.

"Is he asleep?"

"Does he have a fever?"

"We should get him back to the palace immediately!"

All four of them tried to lift him up.

"Gosh! He's heavier than I thought!" Sachiko gasped.

"Well, at least he's not as heavy as that tree trunk! If we can lift that, we can do this, too!" Kiro cheered encouragingly, not in the least bit thinking that Sessho-Maru was heavy, after all, Sachiko was a girl (he's a chauvinist!) and thus, lacked physical strength, and he had lifted heavier haystacks than Sessho-Maru! "And besides, we have Inu-Yasha to help us!"

"But he's just a baby!" Sachiko complained. "Less than a year old!"

"Yeah," Toma whined. "Some help he'd be. And we'll have to carry him, too, for he's sure to tire quickly."

"I'll carry him!" Sachiko perked up immediately and instantly picked him up, leaving the other two to carry the load themselves.

"Do not despair, dear friend," Kiro attempted. "At least she won't complain during the journey."

"I will," Toma grumbled.

So, they set upon their way, their day spoiled by the three wishes. Fortunately (or rather, _un_fortunately), they met up with Izayoi and her army of guards along the way. Obviously, it was dark by then and both Sessho-Maru and Inu-Yasha were asleep. However, Izayoi saw things differently.

"**NOOOOOO!! NOOOOOO!!! O HEAVENS, NOOOOOOOOO!!!!**" she wailed with all her heart and lungs as her face crumpled with thick tears pouring from her eyes as she sobbed. Everyone at first were stock-still and stood there for a while, thinking they were deaf until they somehow heard Izayoi weeping.

"Um…Lady Izayoi? Why are you crying?" Sachiko asked gently.

"WAAAAHHHH!!" Izayoi cried. "I-Inu-Yasha an-and Sessho-Maru…are DEAD!" Everyone was bemused by this.

"Lady Izayoi," Kiro said, trying not to sound strained from Sessho-Maru's 'corpse', "they're not dead. They're merely sleeping."

The red, puffy-eyed mother raised her head from her hands. "They're…not?"

As if to answer her question (and because of all the noise), Inu-Yasha slowly blinked his eyes and then opened them widely. "Ma!" he cried and pointed to Sessho-Maru. He imitated how Sessho-Maru passed out and said, "Broda."

Izayoi laughed and cried at the same time. "I have no idea how they got out, but I thank you for rescuing them!" Not one of them dared tell her that it was their fault to begin with. "For your honorable deed (the three looked guiltily at each other), you shall stay with us at the palace tonight, for you have traveled far from your village to bring them back. Tomorrow, you shall return as heroes! (More guilty glances)" Izayoi proclaimed as she gestured them to follow. The three tried not to look suspicious as followed.

"Why is it that there's more guests everyday?!" the lord bellowed, pulling at his hair. "First that dog demon, next his sons, then that priestess, and now these village children!"

"Hush now, father. You're scaring them," Izayoi scolded gently.

"I don't give a **–BEEP— **about who I scare! I just want them **OUT!**"

"Suzuki will show you to your rooms. Actually, since you're here, Inu-Yasha and Sessho-Maru can sleep with you," Izayoi told them, totally ignoring her father's outburst about 'wanting them out' as they nervously walked away with her maid.

"Hey! Are you ignoring me?!" the lord shouted furiously; no one ignores him and gets away with it!

While Izayoi was busy calming her father, Suzuki showed them their room.

"I'm glad that Mistress Izayoi won't sleep with these demons anymore," she said, relieved. "I worry every night that they should harm her in any way, being what they are."

"Hey, they're really not that bad!" objected Sachiko.

"Suit yourself," the maid replied before closing the door.

"Can we **_please _**put him down now, **_PLEASE_**?!" Toma panted under severe strain.

"Okay," Kiro answered. "Just make sure no to drop him—"

_CRASH!_ "Ow!" Sessho-Maru cried as he was abruptly awoken. He then glared at Toma. "What the **–BEEP— **that for?!"

"You should be _thanking_ us for carrying you all the way here instead of complaining!" Toma glared back evenly.

"I'd rather walk here myself than have _you_ carry me and then dump me like trash! The floor hurts, you know!" Sessho-Maru retorted, trying to hide his embarrassment at being carried.

"I thought that you, being a demon, would have a tougher head, but it looks like I'm wrong!"

"I'll show you how wrong you are!"

"Come and get me, you snotty dog! AAAAHHHHH!" Sessho-Maru turned into his dog form and was chasing Toma around the room, his eyes intent on murder.

"And he thought Sessho-Maru and I fought a lot," Kiro commented as he watched the pair run around.

_Knock knock knock! Creak…_

_SHREEEEK! BAM! SLAM!_

_Crack. Crack. _

_Plik._

_CRASH!_

_Crumble._

Everyone turned to stare at the broken door and the newcomer. _"Greeeeaaaaaat," _they thought. _"Our first night here and we've already broken a door. How're we gonna explain this?"_

"I've come to visit you," the somehow familiar woman said, "but it looks like I chose the wrong time to, eh?"

"Saminoke?" everyone whispered, horrified. They had offended the great priestess!

When she saw their expressions, she laughed. "Oh no, you haven't offended me," she assured them.

_Whump._

Everyone then turned to see Sessho-Maru unconscious yet again.

"Uh…guys…I think Sessho-Maru fainted again," Kiro said unnecessarily.

"I think he's running a fever," Sachiko voiced worriedly.

"He was fine a few moments ago, chasing me," Toma sniffed.

All the while, Inu-Yasha was pointlessly poking his brother in hopes that he would wake.

"Hmmm," Saminoke pondered, tapping her chin. "I didn't know demons could get sick, and I have no medical knowledge on how to cure demons of anything, but I'll do my best." And with that, she moved the ill demon to his new bed and gave everyone instructions.

"He should get lots of water and fresh air and rest all day until he's better. Here are some specific herbs that might ease his pains and recover quicker. _**Might**._ I know they work on humans and animals, but I'm not sure about demons. Oh well. At least he'll be my test subject! If he gets poisoned instead, we'll be sure not to use it to cure any other demon in the future, although I highly doubt it, I mean, we even might use it to exorcise demons instead…"

"_Hello?!" _the rest of them thought. _"Is she trying to kill him?!"_

The priestess prepared the herbs and said, "I'll leave the rest to you," and left. (She would've closed the door if there was one) Everyone stared at her through the large gap where the door should've been as she casually strolled back into her room.

"Let's worry about this tomorrow, 'kay?" Kiro finally said. Everyone nodded and instantly slept when they hit the pillows. Everyone was asleep. No one was attending to Sessho-Maru at all.

**Day 7: **Next morning, Sessho-Maru woke up with the usual headache and a sore throat. This must be what humans call 'sick'! But weren't demons supposed to be immune to illness?

"Hey guys," Kiro whispered, "he's awake! The priestess said he needed to sleep all day! Which herb makes him fall asleep?"

Obviously, Sessho-Maru heard, and his mouth made a large O of horror. First of all, he'd have to stay inside all day again! Second, he, instead of faking sick, became sick, and was still going to eat those yucky plants! All of the plans and punishments he had thought of the night before the night before had come true! And he didn't even use a single one of those plans! Sessho-Maru got so stressed again that he fainted.

"OK…never mind," Kiro sighed.

"Oh hey!" Sachiko cried, lighting up. "While we take care of Sessho-Maru, let's teach Inu-Yasha some new words!"

"Yeah!" Toma joined in. "It'll be just like…" The two siblings' spirits dropped as soon as they rose.

"Are you thinking about…?"

"Yeah…" they both replied softly.

"Puku?" Inu-Yasha asked, asking what they were so sad about. Sachiko smiled and shook her head. "Nothing," she said.

So for the rest of the day, they taught Inu-Yasha several new words. Some of them included: Kiro, Toma, Sachiko, Sessho-Maru, card, pillow, bed, flower, Inu-Yasha, and the alphabet.

"Okay, what is your name?" Sachiko tested.

"My is name Yinu-Shasha—"

"No, no, **_I_**nu-**_Y_**asha. It means 'dog demon'. And you say, 'My _name is…"_

"Inu-Yasha!" he exclaimed. Sachiko clapped happily. "Good job!"

"Okay, my turn," Kiro cut in. "Who is your esteemed asker, this ugly person, and his lovely sister?"

"Hey!" Toma growled angrily. "I am _not _ugly!"

"Whatever," Kiro replied coolly.

"Toma," Inu-Yasha said, pointing to Kiro.

"Kilo." Points to Toma.

"Sesshiko." Points to Sachiko.

"Sasha-Malu." To the sleeping demon.

"UWAH! NO! THAT'S WRONG!" Kiro cried. "He thinks I'm the ugly Toma!"

"I told you, I'm _NOT_ ugly!"

"He mixed my name with Sessho-Maru's," Sachiko remarked.

Finally, it was dark and Inu-Yasha learned everything correctly.

"Your name?"

"I-nu-Ya-sha."

"Who am I" Kiro grinned, showing all of his teeth.

"Kiro."

"Him?" Points to Toma. "Thank goodness you're not calling me ugly this time!"

"Toma."

"His lovely sister?"

"Sa-chi-ko."

"Your unconscious brother?"

"Ses-sho-Ma-ru."

"Her Majesty, your mother?"

"I-za-yoi"

"This handsome gentleman?" Holds up a pillow.

"Pi-low!" he cried happily, grabbing the pillow, then hugging it.

"Yep," Kiro beamed, holding a thumbs up. "He's got'em."

Just then, Sessho-Maru stirred. "Sessho-Maru!" Inu-Yasha yelled as he bounded towards his brother.

"Hey, when did you learn my name?" Sessho-Maru inquired, looking at the three smiling-proudly people.

"We taught him! Pretty bright, for a baby. He learned everyone else's names, too!"

"Hey, hello?" Suzuki's voice rang out from the gap from yesterday. "There **_was _**a door here yesterday." Glares at the group. They gulped. "Anyways, Mistress Izayoi would like to speak with you." She guided them to her bedroom. Each had didn't thoughts.

Kiro: _"Wow! We're going to see her again! More rewards…"_

Sachiko: _"Are we going home yet? I'm scared…"_

Toma: _"Oh no. Must be the door. We're gonna get tortured!"_

Inu-Yasha: "Ma Izayoi! (Well, rather said aloud)

Sessho-Maru: _"Knowing her, it's an announcement or a scolding. Ugh…I'm getting dizzy again…"_

Suzuki: _"Mistress Izayoi, are you sure about this?"_

At last, they reached her bedroom. "Come in," she called out. Suzuki waited outside as the five walked in, each expecting different things. "I am allowed to invite 20 people, max. I've already invited several of my friends. I am also inviting you three children to celebrate with us.

"We-We're honored!" they stammered and bowed.

"And also," Izayoi continued, 'I also want to invite someone else. And I want _you_, Sessho-Maru, to do it for me."

"Me?" Sessho-Maru asked, trying to keep his surprise from his voice. "Not a chance."

"Yeah," Sachiko chimed in. "He's still sick."

"But…" Izayoi began, pretending to sniffle. "I wanted to see how fast he could run this errand. But yes, you are right. He's too feeble now to do anything but sleep."

"Allow me, my lady," Kiro volunteered, kneeling. "I won the race against him and am more generous for your services, thus I am the obvious choice."

Sessho-Maru angrily (yet calmly) snatched the note. "The winner was not decided," he countered coldly. "And I could do more than just sleep. I'll prove it to you."

"Oh, my friend is at the snowy field beyond the forest you used to hunt in. Good bye and good luck!" Izayoi called, waving. Sessho-Maru went ahead, although he felt quite duped.

"Hee hee," Izayoi giggled when he was out of hearing range. "He's so gullible when it comes to his dignity."

"Yes, but Lady Izayoi, why him?"

"Well, he's resistant to cold—before, but now that he's sick, I don't know. I wouldn't want you getting sick, too! And also, he's got to meet his auntie sometime—"

"His auntie, Yukino? You two are friends?!" Toma cried out, aghast.

"We've met her already. She's helped us get back," Kiro said.

"That's nice of her," Izayoi smiled, "because she usually enjoys watching people get lost and does funny things to them." They all had a sweat drop at this. _"A good thing Sessho-Maru was related to her then," _they thought.

"But it's so coincidental!" Toma cried. "How're you two, a human and a demon, be friends?"

"Toma, Toma," Kiro tsked. "How can they not be? Both beautiful and kind women, even if human and demon."

"That's very kind of you," Izayoi smiled warmly. Kiro proudly flashed his teeth back as the two siblings let out exasperated sighs. Noticing that Inu-Yasha was asleep, the mother pulled a blanket over him and stroked his soft hair. "Have a good night's rest," Izayoi told the three. "Your parents have been informed."

When the three left, they began talking excitedly to each other.

"Wow! _We're_ invited!"

"Our parents must be so proud!"

"I can't wait to try out all the food!"

"Mmmm!"

"I wonder where we'll sit…"

"What about the grumpy lord—I mean, our magnificent overlord?"

"I dunno. He was furious before…"

"I'm getting kind of homesick."

"Why get homesick when you have all these luxuries?"

"I want Mommy!"

"Shhh! Sachiko! It's nighttime! People are asleep!"

"Do not fear, we're here! Let's stop blathering, my friends, and get some sleep."

They entered their room and fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Sessho-Maru ran through the forest, almost as if gliding, and way swifter than Kiro, by any chance. Soon, though, he had to rest, his fever getting ahead of him._ "_**–BEEP— –BEEP— –BEEP— **_that Izayoi!"_ he thought angrily. _"And I'm almost there, too." _Struggling to continue running and keep his focus, he felt that she picked him for another reason (after all, he could tell she wasn't really crying; no smell of tears. That was a good thing). After all, how many people could live in that forsaken region? He looked at the invitation.

_Dear Yukino_

_I am inviting you to our New Year's party tomorrow. Please come. Your nephew's with us now; you might want to see him. There is also another important matter I would also like to discuss with you._

_Your friend,_

_Izayoi_

Sessho-Maru stared at the note. And stared. And stared. This was too coincidental to not be her. His auntie. His mother's sister. After all, the same desolate place, the same familiar name? But why and how? He could feel his headache coming back. _"Don't think about this," _he thought to himself. _"It's beyond your comprehension." _

Finally, he reached the snowy field. At a glance at the vast plain, his brain went as blank as the snow he saw at where he should start, not to mention the note and how he had no desire to reenter with his fever. Oh well. Sessho-Maru closed his eyes and focused. Perhaps he could try to hear her movements. He stood still, perking his ears for any movement, for some time.

"Do you sleep while you're standing?" a familiar voice asked. Sessho-Maru instantly opened his eyes and saw Yukino, staring at him, amused. Oh no! He dozed off!

"I figured you aren't lost again or here to catch your death. Is there… something for me?" she asked rather hopefully.

"Yes. A note from Izayoi," Sessho-Maru said as he handed her the note. The snow demoness carefully opened the note and read it silently. Finished with it, she smiled and tucked it into her sleeve. "I will come," she replied. "But I will need to wear a special kimono for this occasion. Oh yes, stand still." She placed her fingers on the crescent moon on Sessho-Maru's forehead. He felt a cold feeling rushing in, filling him with an icy sensation. After a brief moment of it, it seemed to fade away, to flow out of him. He found his headache gone, and supposingly, his fever, and was feeling great.

"I cured your fever," Yukino explained. "I'll see you tomorrow, Sessho-Maru." With that, the bird that was with her before soared towards her like a comet, and along with it, a miniature blizzard which swirled around them, blocking her from his view. In a split second, it blew away as quickly as it came, and her with it. Sessho-Maru stood there for a while, staring at the blank patch of snow where Yukino was just standing mere moments ago. All of a sudden, a mass of snow hit him smack in his face. _"Stop standing there, looking lost, and get back to the palace," _his auntie's voice seemed to resonate, faintly yet coherably from somewhere within the snow. Sessho-Maru just shrugged and walked back to the palace.

"So, Sessho-Maru, what did she say?" Izayoi asked earnestly.

"She said yes," he replied.

"YAY! YAHOO!" Izayoi jumped with joy, loud enough for the whole palace to hear.

"IZAYOI!" her father roared. "BE QUIET! I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT SOME PEOPLE NEED TO SLEEP!!"

Sessho-Maru raised an eyebrow; these human adults were more immature than he thought. Izayoi blushed sheepishly and crawled into her bed. "Good night, Sessho-Maru," she said before Suzuki ushered him out and closed (well, slammed) the door.

**Author's Note: **Whew! Chapter 4 is done. Next and last chapter is Chapter 5! Even though it's very long, I won't cut it into parts like Chapter 4 because it's a super special chapter! Also, since it's the last chapter, I'm open to requests on what more you want Chapter 5 to include, so I'll wait 2 weeks for any of these before posting it up. Till then!


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 New Year Disasters**

_**All's well that ends well…and doesn't end well.**_

Sessho-Maru's started with a bang. Literally.

_Crash!_

_Bang! _

_Crackle!_

_Pop!_

_Fizz!_

_Sizzle!_

"AIEEEEEEEEEE!!!!" (That was not an onomatopoeia)

"**INU-YASHA!!**_** MY HAIR'S ON FIRE!!!**_" Sessho-Maru screeched as he ran to the bathroom and dunked his head into a random tub of water. That happened to be leftover dishwater (but why would it be in the bathroom?), and although the fire was put out, his hair was singed and greasy with oil. Resurfacing, he hurriedly grabbed an _empty _and _clean _tub and turned the taps to full blast, thus resulting in a bigger puddle of water around him. After washing out the grease, he dried his hair and glared at his younger brother.

"Cool?" Inu-Yasha asked innocently, pointing to the firecrackers, which somehow didn't blow up the room or set fire to anyone else.

**Flashback:**

Inu-Yasha had been wandering around the palace yet again (he usually causes trouble when he gets in these walks) and had come across a package of firecrackers. Curious, he found a matchbook, didn't notice the warning (**WARNING: **KEEP AWAY FROM SMALL CHILDREN), learned how to light it, and applied the small flame to a firecracker.

From outside the storage room, maids and servants heard rather loud popping and exploding sounds coming from inside, but no one bothered to investigate.

Inu-Yasha, at first, was startled, but then laughed. It was fun! Dragging the load to his room, he decided to show this 'fun stuff' to his brother and friends! (Yes, remember how advanced his vocabulary is now!) Unfortunately, they were all asleep. (Even Sessho-Maru; he was exhausted after the delivery trip (See Chapter 4, Day 7)) Deciding to surprise and wake them up at the same time, the little half-breed took another match, lit it, set it on another batch of firecrackers, and watched it explode (from a safe distance). The three villager kids jolted up immediately by the noise and some embers caught onto his big brother's hair. Oops…

**End of flashback.**

"Whoa, Inu-Yasha!" Kiro yelped, astonished. "How'd you get your hands on these fireworks? And how'd you light'em? It says here that the matches aren't for small kids!"

"It's a wonder nothing burned," Toma nodded in agreement.

"MY HAIR DID." A rather huffy and fuming Sessho-Maru stomped into the room, dripping and sending water flying everywhere. His hair was slick and soggy and burnt black at the tips.

"Sowwy," Inu-Yasha mumbled, a little guilty. Maybe this was not fun for Brother. Sessho-Maru was speechless. He had forgotten that the kids from the village had taught his little brother new words. And what _could _he say after such a sincere apology?

Pop!

_Crackle crackle crackle!_

The two brothers were soon sooty and burnt black. The three villager kids giggled and laughed as they high-fived in success. They had set the firecrackers on those two just when they let down their guard. Inu-Yasha blinked. Then he tried desperately to rub it off. He looked so funny doing it that Sessho-Maru couldn't help but crack a grin. Seeing this, Inu-Yasha smiled brightly and laughed along. The whole group laughed until someone banged on the wall (there was no door, remember? (See Chapter 4, Day 6)), ruining the mood.

"Hey, you laughing lunatics," an unfamiliar voice rang out. "You two call yourselves demons? (Sessho-Maru scowled at the newcomer) And what're you three peasants doing here? Especially you ugly boys (Kiro jutted out his chin in a dignified manner and Toma merely sulked at being called 'ugly' again), why hang around with a scrawny girl (Sachiko looked hurt) and demon weaklings (Sessho-Maru's scowl deepens)?"

Inu-Yasha became confused at how the intruder so suddenly dampened the mood (he could barely understand what the stranger was saying) as he stared at the three boys growling and scowling and Sachiko's hurt expression. Where had all that cheerfulness gone?

Sessho-Maru's eyes glowed bright red and he started changing shape. The dog demon lunged furiously at the intruder, his jaws opened wide, all his pointy teeth showing (but luckily, he wasn't one to drool all over the floor). Unexpectedly, he swiped at the dagger cleverly concealed by another figure behind the previous one, which startled them both. Nonetheless, the one Sessho-Maru assaulted pulled out yet another one and slashed his shoulder as he slashed the person's cheek and the other's forearm. Consequently, all three of them tumbled into a heap, bleeding and scratched. Unluckily for Sessho-Maru, he was on the bottom yet again (recall from Chapter 4, Day 5), thus cushioning the strangers' fall.

"OWWW!!" went the (now visible) boy and girl.

Sessho-Maru could not say anything for he couldn't breathe from the two's weight.

Immediately, the girl (who was on top) shot up and recollected her dagger, then turning to face the pinned demon, raising it high to strike the final blow. With only the younger boy's weight to deal with, Sessho-Maru flipped him off, to which he screamed as he sailed across the room, and at the same time, loosening her grip on her dagger. Oblivious, she plunged it at Sessho-Maru, who was almost upon her, only to find it missing from her hands. So instead, she punched him smack on the nose and scrambled away in fear and relief. But where did the dagger go?

_Clang!_

_Clang!_

_Chomp!_

_Chomp!_

_Chomp!_

Everyone turned to see none other than Inu-Yasha chewing and gnawing at it like a bone. The villager kids were amazed and impressed. Imagine, a sword-eater! Sessho-Maru simply had a sweat drop. The two intruders, though, were not so silent.

"NOOOOOO!!" the girl wailed. "That was my favorite dagger! It was worth 30,000 yen! MY ALLOWANCE!!"

"WAAAH!! Sister! How could you? You promised you'd buy me candy at the festival!!" (Sessho-Maru had two sweat drops now; these humans, all the same! Wasting money on a bunch of utterly useless weapons)

By that time, Inu-Yasha had nearly finished chewing the dagger (after all, it _was _smaller than a sword) and flung it in some random direction. "Children!" a loud voice boomed. "What are you doing here—" A chewed up dagger flew towards the unawaring newcomer and impaled his hat to the wall beside him. It very nearly sliced his head open. Everyone stared at the dagger and hat. Sessho-Maru turned to see his 'harmless' little brother blinking and starting to suck his thumb. The man was as white as a sheet of paper and unconscious, fainted from the thought that he was dead.

"You killed Dad!" the boy shouted as he rushed to the _unconscious _man, believing he was dead, too.

"It's _Father_, Ikeme," the girl corrected primly, also rushing to his side. "And he's not dead." Obviously, she had more common sense and formality.

"Shut up, Kyoko! He's _my __**dad**_, and I can call him whatever I want!" Ikeme shot back. Kyoko rolled her eyes, then shot the two brothers a dirty look.

"Wake up, _Father_," she answered irritably to her brother. He stuck his tongue out at her. Inu-Yasha, fascinated, imitated him. Thinking it was at him, Ikeme then directed his tongue at Inu-Yasha. They stuck their tongues at each other and blew raspberries. Sessho-Maru and Kyoko rolled their eyes simultaneously and made eye contact. They glared at the other for supposedly copying. Which causes more enmity. Kiro, Toma, Sachiko were left to wake up the passed-out man.

"Sir?" said Kiro, shaking the man. The other two were watching the sibling rivalry going on. "Wake up! You're not dead, see? My friend just missed your head. Isn't that fortunate? But your hat appears to be ripped. Maybe you should get a new one. May I suggest the new style, made of silk? They actually managed to get the silk to stand up firm and tight, not too tight, but just enough that it'd stay propped up on your head and won't slide off. And I can guarantee that it'll be more comfortable than your previous hat, though it _is _a bit costly. If you ask me, I think maroon would suit you best—"

While Kiro was cheerfully babbled on, the two siblings felt the weight of impending doom weighing upon their shoulders. Here Kiro was, gladly rambling on about the 'accident' and hats—to a lord! _"If we don't stop him, he'll get us killed," _were their thoughts.

"And if you plan to journey here during the summer, I advise you to get a sun hat, you know, the ones with wide brims. It's supposed to keep the sun out of your eyes, and it would be very convenient here where the sun is the brightest. And then there's the—" Toma and Sachiko towered over their friend, a shadow over their faces. "Eh? What's the matter—"

Several minutes later, Kiro was sprawled on the floor with broken teeth and a bleeding nose. By now, everyone was attracted by the punching noises and noticed the beat-up Kiro and the dark looks on the siblings and became very interested in the floor. The man, however, was inspired. "What a wonderful young man!" he cried. "Such wonderful suggestions! I vow to make him my new adviser!" Everyone's expressions became pure shock. Ikeme and Kyoko faced each other with dread. What did he just say? "We'll have to fix him up, of course. And I'd like to talk to his parents. Where are they?"

"Dad…" Ikeme began, but was cut off by his older sister. "_Father_," she said (they glowered at each other), "he's a _peasant._"

"Oh."

Several more minutes passed before they were called for breakfast.

A delicious medley of aromas filled the dining hall. Servants busily hustled back and forth as the sound of clanging pots and pans and sizzling oil could be heard in the kitchen. Sessho-Maru's head throbbed from the deafening noise. Inu-Yasha, on the contrary, was far more fortunate. He covered his ears with his grubby hands to block out the sounds and held them in place. Sessho-Maru was a bit envious. You could not bend demon ears as easily. Attempting to at least block _some _of the sounds, he plugged his ears with his hands.

"Oh yes, sensitive hearing, eh?" Kyoko sneered. "And sensitive sense of smell, too. Makes me wonder why you two are here in the first place."

"_Why indeed," _Sessho-Maru thought glumly.

"Inu-Yasha!" Izayoi cried out, running to her son.

"Mama!" Inu-Yasha replied and rushed to his mother, still holding his ears. Ikeme, Kyoko, and their father were aghast at this sight. He was…her _son?!_ Just then, Izayoi tripped on the hem of her multi-layered kimono and landed on the edge of the table, causing it to flip and numerous bowls of porridge to fly, landing splat on Kyoko, Ikeme, their father, Sessho-Maru, and nearly everyone else nearby. Several dishes had slid and flew toward Izayoi and Inu-Yasha, causing them to be even more messy and colorful than everyone else. Just then, a maid came in, carrying a huge, boiling pot of miso soup, and she tripped over Izayoi, causing the pot and stew to fly, splattering everyone once more. Most of the servants yelped in pain, and the huge pot landed on some of them, knocking their heads together as they stumbled and fell on yet _another _table, sending _another_ array of food and drink flying everywhere and at everyone. Sessho-Maru ducked in time just as a plate with steaming vegetables flew above and past where his head was, hitting Ikeme and his father, splat in the face. After he wiped it all off, he started to curse, until another dish hit him in the face again. Seeing that, an idea struck Sessho-Maru. Discreetly and agilely, he carefully dodged flying food and reached the kitchen. Feeling a tug, he looked down and saw a very unrecognizable Inu-Yasha under a coating of food, seasoning, and mush. "You want to try, too?" he whispered as his little brother nodded. Silently, they continued the sneak to the kitchens, when a chaotic scene appeared. Chefs, maids, and other workers screamed and ran around, pots banging, pans sizzling and often unattended to, and some collected and sensible people trying to control the situation, but to no prevail. Unnoticed, Sessho-Maru grabbed a bowl containing meat stew with one hand and a plate of tofu with the other and handed the tofu dish to his little brother, for the counter was too high for him to reach. Sneaking back out, Sessho-Maru hollered, "**FOOD FIGHT!!!**" and hurled the bowl he carried at Ikeme. Revenge. "**FOO FIGH!**" Inu-Yasha cried gleefully as he splattered the plate's contents onto an unwary servant.

"Wh-Wha? WHO DID THAT—" _SPLAT! _Another bowl was hurled at Ikeme before he could finish his question. "**ARGH! THAT DOES IT!!**" he screamed as he threw a dish at his sister, who then threw something else at him, but missed and hit Izayoi, who, in suit, heaved a jug of rum at their father. Soon, the whole room was in an uproar, with food flying everywhere, at speeds like 70 mph. Even the cooks joined in, and supplied those who went in the kitchen solely for a new dish to throw, often tossing them at people waiting behind them. So far, Sessho-Maru was the undisputed champion, with only a hint of sauce on his kimono; Ikeme was the undisputed loser, because everyone kept picking on him. All was going well (well, it kind of depends on who you are) until, all of a sudden, none other than the emperor flung open wide the doors to the dining hall, only to be the new target of everyone's throws.

"**STOP THIS AT ONCE!!!!!!!!**" he roared, his face a dangerous red (and not because of the sauce). Everyone stopped as the room immediately grew silent and still as the grave. Each gaped at him through their food-covered faces. "**ALL RIGHT**, **WHO STARTED THIS?!**" No one dared to say a word, move, or even blink. **"WELL?!**" Silence. **"ANSWER ME!!" **No one answered. "**AT ONCE!!!!**" Nothing could be heard, not a rustle nor a breeze. Finally, having no one to accuse or answering at all, he chose a victim. Obviously, that was Sessho-Maru. "**YOU MEDDLING DEMON!!**" He pointed his stubby finger at him. **"YOU STARTED ALL OF THIS, DIDN'T YOU?!"**

"Now, Father (harsh whispers could be heard from Kyoko and Ikeme, probably arguing about their issue again), be reasonable," Izayoi argued. "Do you have any evidence that he did?"

Her father thought for a moment. Nothing came. At last, he used his reserved argument (it was because it was an opinion). "Uh…well…**IT'S BECAUSE HE'S A DAIKON…I-I MEAN, A DEMON!!!!! **(It's because he was hungry, after all, breakfast was supposed to be served at that time. Oh, for those who don't know what a daikon is, it's a white vegetable. (More specifically, a root)) **AND THEY ALWAYS CAUSE TROUBLE!!!!!"** Everyone laughed at the 'daikon' part. Sessho-Maru, on the other hand, was _**not **_amused. He may be white, but he was no vegetable! And he definitely wasn't edible…or at least he hoped he wasn't.

"Is that it?" Izayoi inquired; her father was making such a lame argument.

"Erm…" He thinks for a while. "I guess," he grumbled in defeat.

So Sessho-Maru got away with it, breakfast was ruined, the emperor demanded for debating lessons, and the morning has ended.

_Grrrrooooooowwwwlll._

Everyone except Sessho-Maru's stomach growled. Breakfast was past started and ended, and no one got to eat a thing. Servants hurried to clear the mess from the mysterious food fight (Sessho-Maru…) as cooks hurried to prepare for the up-coming meal. In the meantime, everyone had to wait.

"I am going to take a bath," Kyoko sniffed daintily. "And I suggest the rest of you to do the same." She then strode haughtily towards the baths. Izayoi, Sachiko, and the other women who were filthy from the food fight joined her, as did the men, although to the men's side (hopefully). Soon, the only ones left were Sessho-Maru, who was quite clean, Inu-Yasha, who was moderately clean, and Ikeme, who was anything _**but **_clean but refused to follow. All of a sudden, a rich and important-looking man walked in, followed by an elegant woman, two girls, and a boy about Ikeme's age. "Hey, Komo!" Ikeme cried, running to the boy, who glanced at him. And freaked. 

"AAAAAAAAHHHH!!!" Komo screamed, staring with a horrified expression at the 'thing' that was approaching him, and had begun to run for his life. The second oldest sister surveyed the room when her eyes fell upon the two half-brothers.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHH!!" she also screamed. "There are demons here! THIS PLACE IS HAUNTED!!" She ran for her life, too.

"PUH-leez," the oldest sighed. From the looks of it, all three 'monsters' seemed harmless. Sessho-Mar and Inu-Yasha watched as Ikeme 'chased' the newcomers around in circles.

"Rena, dear," the exquisite lady called to her eldest daughter, "please take care and calm down your sister and brother while your father and I discuss matters with our overlord." The lord and lady soon walked out of sight, leaving Rena to deal with the mess. She sighed yet again as she picked up her siblings in each hand as their legs kept on running.

"Sigh. Komo, Sani, quit moving. You already are heavy enough without that extra movement. Ikeme, please stop chasing my brother and wash your face. Even I could hardly recognize you." Obediently, her younger siblings stopped thrashing, Ikeme moodily headed for the baths, and the two brothers were still sitting there. "Are you two new? I don't recall seeing you last year. You should clean up, too."

"Huh?" Inu-Yasha asked (using his vocabulary!).

"We are quite clean," Sessho-Maru replied, "after all, _we _did not get dirty from the food fight."

"A food fight?" Rena sighed. "So that's why there were so many people lined up at the baths. Unbelievable. Did you have fun?"

"Yup!" Inu-Yasha shouted. (Using his vocabulary!)

Rena smiled. "But you should wash your hair. Did you get flour into it without noticing?"

"For your information, this _is _our natural hair color," Sessho-Maru stated flatly.

"What? I don't think I heard you correctly."

"Onee-chan…" Sani whispered, frightened. "They're demons…"

"Well I never!" exclaimed the older sister. Instinctively, she did what most people did: pull Inu-Yasha's doggy ears. "Well I never!" she repeated. "Are these _real?_" She drew out a hidden dagger with a flash. Sessho-Maru dragged Inu-Yasha out of range just as quickly. "I'd like to know what you demons are doing here, and it'd better be a good reason or it's back to your creator you go. Sessho-Maru, however, had not a chance to answer, for he was busy restraining Inu-Yasha, who was trying to struggle out of his grasp, arms flailing towards Rena, wailing, "Me want! Me want!"

"What is he talking about?" Rena inquired.

Sessho-Maru grunted as he grabbed Inu-Yasha's kimono sleeve before he could get away. "He—ARGH!—wants your d-dag—your dag—INU-YASHA!—your dagger…!"

"Well, if he's asking for it, I'll give it to him." Casually, she threw her dagger like a dart at Inu-Yasha, who finally broke out of Sessho-Maru's grasp and lunged for it.

Let's slow it down: the dagger point flew nearer and nearer to the unfortunate-yet-not-so-unfortunate half-breed. Just then, he leapt at it, mouth wide open, and chomped onto the blade, right before it could pierce his throat. He then landed pretty much as a dog catching a Frisbee would, except in slo-mo.

"It'd better not be valuable," Sessho-Maru warned.

"What do you mean…?"

It was then that they noticed the chewed-up dagger, which Inu-Yasha was just about finished with, after all, it wasn't much bigger than Kyoko's knife.

"Waaaaaaaaahhh!! No way! A dagger-eating demon!! FOR REAL!!!" (Sessho-Maru decided not to mention that his brother could chew swords, too)

"That dagger was my finest!" Rena cried, distraught. Sessho-Maru sighed, quite tiresomely. These humans, do they ever learn? How it was that his little brother could chew their most precious weapons, he hadn't the slightest clue.

Upon finishing the dagger, Inu-Yasha carelessly tossed it. Each person (and one demon) hurriedly ducked as it whizzed above their heads…and ripped through the sliding doors. They stared at the rather large hole and flinched when a bloodcurdling scream was heard…then silence. Suddenly, the doors were flung open, revealing Rena's father sprawled at the floor with his wife hovering over him as others stood, staring, and Suzuki the maid stomping in, complaining about how many doors they had to ruin before they were satisfied, the overlord accusing Sessho-Maru once more, and a very furious Izayoi marching towards her son.

"**WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT THIS? NO CHEWING OTHER PEOPLE'S WEAPONS AND RANDOMLY THROWING THEM!!!**"

"_Oooh, busted," _Sessho-Maru thought as everyone else watched incredulously as Izayoi spanked him. Inu-Yasha started whimpering pitifully until Izayoi stopped and comforted him. They then diverted their attention to the fallen lord, who was groaning as he regained consciousness.

"Hm…what…? I'M ALIVE?!" he cried, bolting straight up. "HA HA! I got struck by a sword, but I'm still alive! I'M A MIRACLE WORKER!!"

"Father, first of all, it wasn't a sword, but a dagger—" 

"And second," Kyoko's father cut off Rena, "you weren't hit by that dagger. I should know; I was right next to you, and it happened to me, too."

"That and…um…" his wife stammered as she withdrew a **large **lock of hair, "it cut off the whole top of your hair…"

"**WHAT?!**" The lord frantically groped around his head and found the top bald. "**DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT TOOK ME TO GROW MY HAIR AND HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE TO REGROW IT?!?!?! WHAT WILL THEY SAY IF THEY SEE ME LIKE THIS?!?!?!?!?!**"

"Father, please calm down—"

"You actually look good like that, Pops…"

"It's Dad!"

"NO! It's Pops!"

"SHUT UP, BOTH OF YOU! IT'S _FATHER, _AND THAT'S FINAL!"

"Yeah! You hear that, Ikeme?"

"I'm sticking with my friend, Komo! Got that, Kyoko?

"Children, please calm down…"

"Hey, Sessho-Maru—"

" 'Hey' is for horses, squirt."

"And for donkeys, too, and goats, chickens, cows—"

"You know what, Sani? BUTT OUT!"

"You're so mean…" sniffles

"Hey, Sessho-Maru—"

"You a horse, squirt?"

"HEY SESSHO-MARU—"

"BEFORE WE KNOW IT, HE'LL GO 'NEIGH'!"

"FINE! SESSHO-MAR_OOOO—_"

_**BAM!!!!**_

"**WHAT IS ALL THIS RACKET?!?!" **the overlord roared.

"They're arguing over what you should call your father…"

"FATHER!!"

"DAD!!"

"Pops!"

"FATHER!!"

"Why don't we…"

"DAD!!"

"…take a…"

"Pops!"

"…survey…?"

"FATHER!!"

"DAD!!"

"Pops…?"

"FATHER!!"

"DAD!!"

"**THAT'S ENOUGH!!!**" the overlord roared once more. The room quieted. "Now," he said, calmer this time, "who mentioned the survey?"

"M-Me," Sachiko stammered timidly. She, along with Toma and Kiro had been forlornly forgotten.

"Of course," Kyoko agreed. "Let's start with you, my lord."

"I've always called my father 'father'. I find it unreasonable to call him otherwise. Why, this quarrel is meaningless! I should just issue a decree commanding every father to be called 'father' to end this dispute. If I did that, will you _please _let me be?"

Kyoko and Rena smiled smugly in triumph. "Yes, of course, my lord."

Their brothers, however, would not be put out so easily. "Hold on a sec. Even if _they_ won't, _we _will!"

"Yeah!" the villager kids agreed.

"My dad's gonna think I'm nuts if I called him 'father' all of a sudden," Toma complained, with Sachiko nodding in agreement.

"My father would certainly think _you're _losing your marbles by issuing such a decree," Kiro put in, earning warning glares from his friends by such an outburst.

"And I wanna call mine 'pops'," Sani mumbled.

The overlord swore in frustration. How was he going to put up with this?!

"Why don't we just ask the fathers? I mean, if they're okay with it, then it should be okay to call them that, right?" questioned Sessho-Maru, who was bored and couldn't see the point of the argument.

The overlord's eyes snapped open. Salvation! "Who…said that…?" Everyone was staring, dumbfounded, at Sessho-Maru. Sessho-Maru had begun to feel queasy from being the center of attention and had started to regret ever mentioning it.

"Marvelous! This is a historical moment!" Everyone diverted their gaze to the stranger.

"_Great," _Sessho-Maru thought glumly. _"They just keep coming and coming."_

"What is your name, demon?" the man asked earnestly. The overlord cleared his throat.

"A-hem! And who might you be?"

"Ah, yes! I am named Taka—Taka the scholar! I am one of Lady Izayoi's friends. I travel around collecting events for unwritten scrolls of history. And you are her father, my lord?"

"That I am."

"See? Even Taka-san uses 'father'!" Kyoko sneered at her brother. Of course, Taka heard.

"Now, young lady, didn't you hear that wonderful demon's eloquent peace statement?" Everyone gaped at what he just said. Sessho-Maru? Wonderful? _PEACE?! _It just didn't quite fit. Most horrified of all was none other than Sessho-Maru himself. He was a demon! He was a killing machine! He could not afford to have 'peace' associated with his name!

"Hey, Taka-san? How is it you're not afraid of them?" Sani questioned.

"Afraid of who?"

"The demons."

"Ah, yes. Well, you see, I have an acquaintance with Lady Izayoi's deceased husband, Inu no Taisho. Speaking of which, today is the anniversary of his death, is it not?"

"Yes," Izayoi confirmed, her eyes starting to well up with tears.

"And also…" Here Taka began to blush. "I…fell in love with a demoness along the way here."

"Really?" everyone exclaimed.

"Are you sure she didn't bewitch you?" Ikeme and Komo asked.

"Then I shouldn't even be here," Taka answered.

"How did you meet her?"

"What was she like?"

"Well, I got lost in the snow to the north of here when I met her. She had long, snow-white hair and a lovely voice. There was a white bird perched on her shoulder…"

"_It couldn't be," _Sessho-Maru thought, _"Is that freak talking about…my auntie?!"_

"…and she told me to tell you that she's coming at evening. Now that I think about it, she looks surprising like…uh…er…what was that eloquent demon's name?"

"You mean Sessho-Maru?"

"Yeah! Sessho-Maru! Anyways, he looks so much like her! Are they related or something?"

"We're BORED!" Ikeme and Komo pouted before anyone could answer.

"How about a card game?" Rena asked them with a wicked grin. She was good at those.

"Can we play war?" asked Kyoko; that was the only one she knew. "Although some people have to sit out…" All the adults volunteered. "That's good enough! Let's start."

Sessho-Maru looked at his hand. It wasn't that bad; there were a few letters in there. And—ah yes! He had a joker, the red one, his trump card. He wondered who had the other.

"Three of diamonds!" Toma proclaimed, placing the card at the center of the circle. This is the order it goes:

Kiro—three of clubs, Ikeme—three of spades, Komo—four of hearts, Kyoko—five of diamonds, Rena—nine of hearts, Sessho-Maru—ten of spades, Inu-Yasha—king of diamonds, Sani and Sachiko are unable to play higher. The others wait in reserve.

Inu-Yasha—three queens carrying one two. Everyone stared in disbelief at the four cards and at Inu-Yasha's now empty hand. "Remarkable!" exclaimed Taka, who was furiously jotting down into his journal: Game of war, won by half-breed Inu-Yasha in two moves with three queens carrying one two. Sessho-Maru found the black joker in the two cards left out of the game to make it even.

"**NO WAY!!!!!**" everyone but Sessho-Maru and Taka (who was still busy writing) shouted. Ikeme and Tomo started to curse—until a myriad of hands flew to cover their mouths. "Don't panic," Kiro reassured, seeing their startled faces. "This happens a lot."

"Don't defile the lady's innocent—and unbelievably good at card games—son with your foul language," added Sachiko, at whom Toma looked at incredulously.

Sessho-Maru decided to play another prank. "Sing the alphabet," he told Inu-Yasha.

"Everyone here knows how to cuss, right?" Ikeme grumbled.

"Cussing is bad manners," Kyoko reprimanded him.

"Yeah, and he didn't know them until—"

**WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CONTENT IS HIGHLY INAPPROPRIATE. (SO IT'S BEEPED OUT):**

"**-BEEP-**, **-BEEP-, -BEEP-, -BEEP-, -BEEP-, -BEEP-, -BEEP-, **(pause) **-BEEP-, -BEEP-, -BEEP-, -BEEP-, -BEEP-,-BEEP-,-BEEP-. **(pause) **-BEEP-, -BEEP-, -BEEP-,-BEEP-,-BEEP-,-BEEP-, -BEEP-, **(pause) **-BEEP-, -BEEP-,-BEEP-,-BEEP-,-BEEP-,-BEEP-,-BEEP-. **Now you know **-BEEP-, -BEEP-,-BEEP-, **next time shut the **-BEEP- **up, you ugly **-BEEP-.**"

**IT IS NOW SAFE TO RESUME THE STORY.**

Silence.

"Even I don't know so many bad words," whispered Ikeme. Kyoko bopped him on the noggin. Hard. Luckily, he was too awestruck to notice or feel it. Sessho-Maru tried to hide a smirk and hoped it wasn't too conspicuous. Izayoi stared, horrified at what her son just did. Sachiko, Toma, and Kiro stared, dumbstruck. They did not teach him this. Even the overlord grew pale at what had been sung. Contrarily, Inu-Yasha looked proud, glad he could do his brother's bidding and that he memorized all those hard (and very, very vile) words in the 'alphabet'.

Some more silence.

Still going on about an hour or so.

A head popped out from the sliding door. "Lunch is ready," announced the servant, who then noticed everyone was being oddly quiet. "What the—" Now every person's hand moved to cover the man's mouth before he could finish. "Erm…come when you're ready…" And with that, he dashed out of the room, unnerved by the group's reactions. Sessho-Maru somehow managed to cover an ever-broadening grin; this was just too easy. Breaking the silence, the overlord declared, "Let's go to lunch, shall we?" Everyone nodded numbly and followed. They had gained much reverence to the half-demon. The cussing kid strikes again.

"Now," the overlord said, eyeing Sessho-Maru suspiciously (he still believed Sessho-Maru started the food fight, after all, someone had to), "no pranks, okay? We are sitting and eating a calm, peaceful, tranquil, delicious, and _**undisturbed **_lunch. **HAVE I MADE MYSELF CLEAR?!**" (Nearly) everyone nodded vigorously, afraid to anger the overlord further.

"But he can't suspect me," Sani grumbled under her breath, "I wasn't even there."

Heading to the dining hall, all minds on food, Izayoi reunited with her newly arrived friends. First, they laughed and giggled together nonstop, which annoyed Sessho-Maru to no end. Next, they quieted down and started a conversation.

"Hey, Izayoi," began Lady 1.

"Didn't you hear? 'Hay' is for horses, Minami."

"All right, Satsuki. Izayoi, is it true that Yukino's little nephew is here?"

"Yes! I've heard, too. Does he look much like her?"

"Oh, how _cute_! Just like a mini-Yukino!"

They then noticed him standing there, listening on their conversation.

"Ooooh, he's _adorable_!" some of the ladies squealed.

"I am **not**," Sessho-Maru countered.

"Aww, look at him all gruffy. I bet he wouldn't even harm a fly."

"How about I start now?" he inquired dangerously, slashing an unfortunate fly, which was nearby, to shreds. The chatty group immediately grew as still as stone as they watched, horrified. Then, they broke out in screams.

"He's dangerous!" Minami shrieked.

"Sessho-Maru," Izayoi scolded, "don't scare them like that."

"Ladies, please hurry up!" her father called. The group, very much relieved to have an excuse to get away from the 'dangerous' demon, hustled to catch up. They somehow managed to speed away very fast under their heavy garments. Struggling to catch up, too, Inu-Yasha attempted to run, but stumbled and fell on his knee. "Boo boo," he whimpered, and indeed, his pants were torn where his knee bled.

"Inu-Yasha!" Sessho-Maru hurried to his little brother. "Are you all right?" Gingerly, he picked up and piggy-backed his injured half-brother, then heading towards the dining hall after the rest of them.

"Sessho-Maru," Inu-Yasha said, "tank you."

Sessho-Maru said nothing, but his heart felt as if it were lit up.

"Oh my, where were you two?" Izayoi asked, then noticed her son on Sessho-Maru's back. "Oh, poor Inu-Yasha! We need to get that cleaned and bandaged right away." And with that, she lifted him off his back and into her arms and hurried away. "Bye bye…" Inu-Yasha called to his older brother. After they were out of sight, Sessho-Maru realized how heavy Inu-Yasha was.

"I sure do hope they hurry back," Satsuki worried, "or they're going to miss lunch, too." Hearing that, Sessho-Maru stared at the table. It was true; if they didn't hurry, the food would soon be gone. Then, he looked at his plate. And remembered the night he had to go hungry. And what Inu-Yasha had to go through just to get a chicken leg for him. _"I should save some for him, too," _Sessho-Maru thought. _"I could probably last until supper, anyway." _He then stacked up his plate with mounds of food and carefully walked away, careful not to spill its contents (he had plenty of practice with the fish in Chapter 4). He hoped no one would notice him leaving with all that food, although they probably wouldn't mind his absence.

At long last, he reached the room he and his brother shared with the guests, but just before he barged in, he heard:

"So, Inu-Yasha, what happened?"

"Grandpa says to hurry up. Me fall. Beeg broad helwp me. Ride on his bak!"

"Oh…sighs. I better get going. Heavens, I'm so hungry, I could just smell the food."

Quickly, he hurried into a nearby room, and just in time, too. He heard the door slide open and Izayoi murmur, "I swear, if I weren't so delirious from hunger, I'd say there really _was _food here." She then closed the door and walked away, to which Sessho-Maru let out a mental sigh of relief. Silently, he walked over and opened the door. At the sight of the food and his older brother, Inu-Yasha's eyes and mouth widened into large O's. "Foo!" he cried happily as he frenziedly scampered over to the food-stacked plate and gobbled ravenously. "Sher?" he asked with his mouth full and hands full of grub. Sessho-Maru shrugged. Why not?

So they spent the afternoon digging into the food until not a scrap was left and their bellies almost burst.

"Ugh…I think I ate too much," Sessho-Maru commented.

_BUUUUURRRP._

Inu-Yasha hiccupped soon after the long burp as he nodded in agreement.

"There you two are!" cried Kiro.

"You better have got it right this time," Toma muttered tiredly.

"Whoa!" Kiro exclaimed, seeing the very full brothers and totally empty plate. "No fair! You two ditched us and got to eat here! The dining hall was terrible! Everyone kept staring at us 'cuz we're 'commoners'. You lucky dogs!"

"So they're really here?" Sachiko asked for confirmation.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sessho-Maru inquired drowsily.

"It's really weird," Toma began as Sachiko giggled, "but as we were searching for you two, Kiro thought it'd be funny if he suddenly yelled out, 'There you two are!' and surprise you, but each room was empty or occupied with maids, other guests, and servants. Worst of all, we came upon Priestess Saminoke's room! It was so embarrassing!" Toma groaned and buried his face in his hands. Kiro chuckled nervously.

"Well, since my brother is too embarrassed to continue," Sachiko said as she stole a glance at Toma, "I'll tell you instead. Like he said, Kiro was doing that weird thing. It went on with about 20 rooms until we finally found you guys in here."

"_Okay…" _Sessho-Maru thought.

"Oh, yeah, well, anyways," Kiro said quickly," the festivities are about to begin! It's gonna be lots of fun! Eveyone's gonna be there!"

"Five more minutes," groaned Sessho-Maru, immobilized because he ate too much.

"Me too—hic," Inu-Yasha added, still hiccupping. The three village kids had a sweatdrop.

"Well, being your faithful friends, we shall stand right here and await your mobility," concluded Kiro.

"I'm gone," Toma announced, walking away.

"So am I," Sachiko said, following her older brother.

A wind of loneliness blows. Kiro now stands alone.

He sighed. "Some friends they were. Nonetheless, I shall wait for you!" The demon brothers didn't seem to hear, preoccupied by stomach pains. Kiro felt quite awkward. "I'll sleep, too," he said, grabbing Sessho-Maru's pillow from right under his head. "Ow…" was all Sessho-Maru said, and he then grabbed Inu-Yasha's pillow. "Oweee…" Inu-Yasha complained as he groped around for his pillow. Grabbing it from his brother, Inu-Yasha began to tug it away, but Sessho-Maru wouldn't let it go so easily. Soon, they began to 'play' tug-o'-war with it. Kiro, on the other hand, was sleeping peacefully on Sessho-Maru's pillow, oblivious to the conflict, until—

_RIIIIIIIP_

"Huh…wha…?" Kiro mumbled drowsily awakened by the loud noise. Then he sneezed. The whole room was full of fluttering pillow stuffings. "What'd you two do this time?" Kiro questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"He did it," Sessho-Maru and Inu-Yasha said simultaneously, pointing at each other.

"Ah, siblings," he said expressively in a wise manner, "you must learn to share."

"Hey," Sessho-Maru growled suspiciously. "What are you doing with _**my **_pillow?"

"Oh…um…" Kiro stammered nervously. The two brothers glowered at him. "I can explain—"

"You are dead meat," Sessho-Maru snarled as he advanced on him.

"AH! MERCY!!" Kiro screamed, making a run for it. He wasn't fast enough. Screams of agony and thuds from kicks and punches could be heard from the room.

"I wonder if that's Kiro?" Toma asked.

"I win!" Rena exclaimed. Everyone sighed hopelessly. This was the fifth time she had won. "Want to play again?" They groaned.

"Oh, I don't think you would want to." Everyone turned to face the two demons brothers.

"Hey, where's Kiro?" asked Toma.

"Oh, he was…disposed of." They wondered what Kiro had done to him.

"Oh well, he was getting annoying anyways." Toma shrugged unfeelingly.

"If we're playing anymore, I'm leaving. I'll just end up losing again. And besides, it _is _getting kinda boring," grumbled Ikeme.

"Um, but what about Kiro?" Sachiko asked.

"We'll just leave him there until he regains consciousness," Toma answered.

"_Are they really friends?" _Sessho-Maru wondered.

"Oooh, I can't wait!" Kyoko squealed. "The festival is about to begin! I'm going to win every game!"

"Like last year," Ikeme grumbled. "And like the year before that and the year before that."

"What about the year before _that_?" Sachiko teased.

"Shut up! You know what I mean!"

"I'm going to gamble until everyone's purses are empty except mine!" Rena announced. "Those old gambler men don't stand a chance!"

"She's our main source of income each year," Komo whispered to the demon brothers and village siblings, "so I'm not complaining too much."

"No fair!" Sani grumbled. "I want to be good at something, too."

Toma thought for a moment, glancing between Inu-Yasha and Sessho-Maru. Then, his face lit up. "I've got it!"

"Got what?" Sessho-Maru asked suspiciously.

"How about you try to win the festival this year?" Toma asked.

"And why would I want to do that?"

"Oh, what's wrong with playing festival games? Or maybe you're afraid of losing? It couldn't hurt you to try—except maybe your pride," Toma added slyly.

"Are you saying that I doubt my abilities?" Sessho-Maru inquired with dead calm.

"It's settled, then," Toma smirked triumphantly. "Sessho-Maru will participate in the festival and Inu-Yasha will go gambling with Rena."

"Hey, you never said anything about—"

"What makes you think they'll beat our sisters? Our sisters will just cream 'em," Ikeme and Komo protested.

"How much you wanna bet?" asked Toma with a glint in his eye. _"Uh-oh," _Sachiko thought worriedly.Her brother could get nasty when it came to money.

"What would a commoner like you have to bet?" they countered.

"Hmmm…how about 100 yen? That's better than nothing," he speculated. "But if I win the bet, you both have to hand over 100 yen, each."

"The same goes for you."

"It's a deal." They shook hands.

Sessho-Maru, upon watching the whole arrangement, made a mental note to talk to Toma about it and make sure he shared.

Inu-Yasha, on the contrary, had just won another game of wars. Kyoko cussed.

"I thought cussing was bad," Ikeme snickered. She glared darts at him.

"Amazing!" Taka remarked. "The first demons to participate in festivals and gamble! I simply _must _record this eventful evening!"

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Sachiko asked. "To the festival!"

Rena and all the gamblers gathered around a campfire in the dark alley. Pulling out an elaborately designed deck of cards, she began shuffling. "We're waiting for one more player."

Pitter-pattering was heard as, slowly but surely, Inu-Yasha emerged from the shadows.

"What's this brat doing here?" an old geezer growled.

"Shut yer trap, old geezer," a young man retorted. "There ain't a rule for gamblin' age."

"He's the player we've been waiting for," Rena replied. She set down the deck and divided it. "Game start."

Toma led Sessho-Maru to a crowded area. "According to Ikeme," he said, "this is the only festival competition that Kyoko is unable to win. Still, her score is higher than the others. All you have to do is get a just as good or better score on the other games and win this one."

Breaking through the large crowd, they saw a humongous muscular man. _"No wonder Kyoko couldn't win," _Sessho-Maru thought. _"Her arms are like twigs." _"He won this booth last year," Toma whispered. "See if you can beat him."

"Winner of the weight lift contest for two years running," the announcer announced. "Does anyone wish to challenge him?"

"I do," said Sessho-Maru, stepping forward. The announcer looked ready to choke. "_**YOU?! **_Don't make me laugh!" He laughed.

"Give the squirt a chance," the muscle man smiled.

"_You will be sorry you ever said that," _thought Sessho-Maru, the smile annoying him.

"Okay kid. Let's start with the pot. Can you lift it?" he joked, pointing to a gigantic pot. Sessho-Maru twitched an eyebrow in irritation. Then, he held it up for everyone to see, balancing it on a nail. (I wish I could do that!) "You mean like this?" he asked with a smirk. The announcer, the muscle man, and the audience were shocked and speechless. "H-How…?" stammered the muscle man. The pot that even _he _had struggled to lift, this brat had raised it with nearly no effort at all!

"Lift that, then!" he shouted, pointing to a weight that weighed not one, but THREE TONS! (Is there such a weight like that?) That was the one thing he, and no one else, could lift. (Well, duh!) Sessho-Maru walked over and easily lifted it. Everyone's eyes bulged as their jaws dropped.

"That concludes it; he's the winner," the announcer proclaimed, ready to faint. He awarded the demon boy a ribbon, proving that he was the winner. "Alrighty!' Toma cheered. "Time to win the other stalls, too!"

"Four twos," Inu-Yasha declared as he dropped four twos onto the pile. Everyone else groaned, and one person threw up his cards in frustration. "How does that little runt do it?" a geezer screeched. Daintily, Inu-Yasha picked up the cards and put them into a stack as he expertly shuffled it. (He learned from watching Rena) "One more?" he queried.

Meanwhile, Inu-Yasha wasn't the only one on a roll. Sessho-Maru nailed every game, as did Kyoko (except for the one Sessho-Maru just took). It was inevitable that the two would meet for a final showdown. Before long, they reached the last stall (more like a stage): DANCING.

"You have _got _to be kidding me," Sessho-Maru growled furiously.

"Don't worry," Toma said quite calmly. "We could fix some make-up on you and I bet Lady Izayoi has some lovely kimonos that would fit you."

"Not funny," Sessho-Maru snarled. "Besides, I can't dance."

"Try!"

"No!"

"I'll give you lessons!" Sachiko volunteered chipperly; she wanted to see him dance.

"What would a village girl like you know?"

"Well, our mother came in second last year," she said thoughtfully.

"Come on; you're not going to let her beat you just because of this, are you?" Toma sneered. Sessho-Maru grudgingly consented.

"Okay, let's get started!" exclaimed Sachiko.

First up was none other than Kyoko, giving the audience a splendid dance well-applauded for. Everyone else after her didn't do as well, and it was obvious they weren't to be the ones winning. Before long, it was Sessho-Maru's turn. "Good luck!" the village siblings cheered. Nervously, he shuffled onto the stage. Immediately, flowing music began playing and he began dancing. The audience gaped; 'she' was fabulous! The elegant movements, the flowing hair and robes; this contestant was gorgeous! "You'll make a great dance teacher someday," Toma told his sister as they enjoyed the show. Sessho-Maru, fully aware of everyone's stares, tried not to collapse from pressure. At the end of his performance, he tripped, receiving gasps from the audience. Embarrassed, he stumbled off the stage. "I will never, **NEVER, EVER, **dance in my whole life **EVER AGAIN!!!!!**" he spat furiously, rubbing the white powder and lipstick off his face.

"Oh come on, you were great!—Except for the ending, of course. Nonetheless, at least you'll tie with Kyoko this year, but I think you did a lot better—"

"Look!" Sachiko cried out, though it didn't really catch their attention. "I can't believe it! It's your auntie, Sessho-Maru!" Now that really got their attention. Rushing over, they saw that, indeed, his auntie was dancing, and she was even better than Sessho-Maru (of course)! The audience was totally transfixed by her lovely performance, and when her elegant dance ended, they wildly applauded and whistled. No one needed to be told who the winner was, but the judges announced it anyways. "This year's annual dance winner is…the lovely lady in white!" Everyone cheered again as she accepted the ribbon and left the stage as her companion bird swooped to meet her. Toma, Sachiko, and Sessho-Maru rushed over to her.

"You never said you were entering!" Sessho-Maru exclaimed.

"You never said that you were, either," she replied. He had no good retort to that. "By the way, you gave a lovely performance, Sessho-Maru. You…remind me of your mother…"

"Hurry!" Sachiko cried excitedly. "They're about to announce the winner of this year's festival!"

In short, Inu-Yasha's money pile dramatically increased as every other player's sharply decreased.

Everybody's hearts were beating wildly. The winner of the festival was to be announced, and for once, people were unsure who that would be. Kyoko and Sessho-Maru exchanged furtive glares. "Five minutes and still going," Toma whispered. The judges, it seemed, were having trouble deciding. Finally, they whispered something to the announcer, and the announcer nervously mopped his brow. "It seems," he declared shakily, "we have a tie…" Everyone exploded into loud outbursts; a tie! Toma and Sachiko nodded knowingly; the two close competitors could be no one else. "Will Kyoko and the white-haired kid please come on up. Purposefully, they strode up to the stage (still glaring!). "We will decide the winner in one last contest." The two contestants tensed, as did the crowd, awaiting the challenge to be named. "It is…rock, paper, scissors!"

"_**WHAAAAAAAT?!"**_ they both exclaimed; they had expected something more challenging, and it depended a lot on luck. The announcer scratched his head nervously. "Well, I'm just the announcer…" he protested pathetically.

"What are the circumstances?" Kyoko sighed, annoyed.

"Two wins out of three games," he replied. "Ready? Rock, paper, scissors!" Both Sessho-Maru and Kyoko chose rock. "Rock, paper, scissors!" Both rock. They continued in this way for the next fifteen rounds. On their nineteenth, one of the judges cried, "Stop! This has gone on far enough! We will next try tic-tac-toe." Sessho-Maru twitched an eyebrow. This was supposed to be a festival yet now they have chosen highly untraditional games. The crowd murmured among themselves. Snatchings of "Have they lost their minds?" and "Do they think this is a joke?" were heard. They judge raised his hands to silence the crowd. "Let us commence!" he ordered.

The games of tic-tac-toe continued in he same direction of the previously selected game. Soon, they resorted to the roll of dice, Bingo, and many other things—but they still tied. The announcer suggested eenie-meenie-mine-mo, but the judges decided it wouldn't be fair; everyone knew how it worked. "It must be a sign from the gods," one even muttered.

Finally, it was drawing out of the hat. Carefully, they reached in a pulled out a card. As they read what they got, their eyes bulged at the word **LOSER**. "**I LOST?!**" both Kyoko and Sessho-Maru exclaimed simultaneously. The judges had to cover their broadening grins and hold back their snickers. "Looks like you both lost," snickered the announcer. "Ladies and gentlemen, this year, _**there is no winner!**_" He drew the last card in the hat which read **WINNER**. Enraged, Kyoko and Sessho-Maru clobbered the judges and the announcer.

"Wow," said Toma.

"Wow," breathed Sachiko.

"Where's Izayoi?" asked Yukino.

Later…

"Oh well, you still did pretty well." Toma patted Sessho-Maru's shoulder reassuringly. "Although I'm not sure what will happed with the bet…"

"Beeg Brotha!" Inu-Yasha cried out, running towards Sessho-Maru with a _**HUGE **_bag trailing behind him. Toma peeked inside and gasped. There must be hundreds of yen in there! "We gonna be reech!" he grinned giddily.

"And we're all broke." A voice sighed behind him. It was no other than a very forlorn Rena, who was joined with a very forlorn Kyoko, followed by a forlorn Tomo and a rejoicing Ikeme.

"So, about the bet…" Toma began, but was interrupted.

"Sorry, I'm broke because Rena is…" mumbled Tomo.

"Sorry, even though Kyoko didn't win, Sessho-Maru didn't either, so the bet is off," Ikeme declared.

Toma was about to protest until Sachiko put a hand on his shoulder and shook her head. "It's all right, Toma, show some New Year's spirit. Look, isn't the crescent moon pretty?"

They all gazed up at the night sky. The moon shone brightly, as did the stars, despite the light of the lanterns. Just as they a night before…

"_Just like the night of father's death," _Sessho-Maru realized. _"Tonight is the anniversary of his death."_

Inu-Yasha seemed to realize this, too. "Ba…" he sniffed, then started crying. They all stared as he punched the sack of yen he won. What good was it, if it couldn't bring him back?

A hypnotic voice began chanting until it became singing, with another strange sound mingling with the melody. Everyone shivered as the song progressed, for it was so powerful, so strong, it chilled any listener to the bone. The wind picked up, and it started snowing, more and more until there was an immense blizzard that swirled everywhere, a crackling that seemed to comes from the sky, and something like a rip pulsed through the atmosphere. Suddenly, just as the song reached an impossibly high pitch, all stopped. Only a faint breeze blew as they brushed the snow off and stared at the most incredible sight they've ever thought to witness. For there, standing right before them, was a humongous version of Sessho-Maru's dog form. To the two demon brothers it was someone they've never thought to see again.

"Sessho-Maru, Inu-Yasha, can you tell me what I'm doing here?" asked Inu no Taisho.

On impulse, they ran towards their father to hug him. Though they started to embrace, they found themselves running right through him. "Ba…?" Inu-Yasha sniffled, wiping his nose, then his eyes (Eeeew), as if in a dream.

"Darling!" Izayoi cried, running towards him too, but Yukino restrained her. She struggled, telling her to let go, but to no avail. "Please, Izayoi," Yukino pleaded. "You must understand that is only his spirit." Finally, she broke from her grasp and rushed towards her beloved and embraced his essence. He then tried to embrace her back.

"Whoa, what's going on?" Kiro yelled, emerging after Yukino. At first, her expression was sad, but in an instant, it turned icy. "We must be alone for this," she hissed. "You need to leave!" Immediately, a snowstorm brewed once more, surrounding the villager and rich kids until they were blocked from view. In the next instant, it blew out, and with the storm, the kids were gone. She then walked towards the reunited family, her familiar on her shoulders.

"What did you do?" Sessho-Maru asked her. She smiled bitter-sweetly. "I had to send them away."

"No, I mean, how did you bring Father back?"

"It's an ancient and potent spell passed down generation by generation in my family—and yours, too. It works best if done on the time the person has died, but it only brings back the person's spirit, and they disappear by midnight. So I've done it tonight, to Izayoi's request, but also for what we must discuss next." Her gaze and Inu no Taisho's met. He changed into his human-like form. "So, we have until midnight to discuss this arrangement? How considerate of you to include me," he said.

"Please be serious," Izayoi told her husband, then turned to face Yukino. "Tell him, Yukino. Tell him."

"Tell me what?" Sessho-Maru questioned, starting to feel fidgety.

"It…has been arranged for you leave here to stay and train with me," Yukino answered. "We had arranged it last year, but because of the fire incident and Inu no Taisho's death, it is discussed now."

"Yes, but why could I have not stayed and trained under Father?" Sessho-Maru asked.

"Because…he was planning on living with Izayoi and Inu-Yasha, so we decided that you should stay with me."

Anger flickered in Sessho-Maru's eyes. "So he would rather stay with them than me." For a moment, he looked desolate. He clenched his fists.

"Sessho-Maru…" his father began. "I had thought that you wouldn't want to stay with the humans, but if you've changed your mind…"

"No. I shall go," Sessho-Maru said through clenched teeth. "I don't want to see them ever again."

Izayoi looked hurt, and though Inu no Taisho looked as if he wanted to slap Sessho-Maru for that, he respected his decision.

"Very well. Izayoi gave me Tenseiga, which I will bestow to you when the time is right. We will leave now, seeing as how our business here is done," said Yukino, and she turned to walk away. Sessho-Maru followed her.

"Wait!" Inu-Yasha cried, clinging to Sessho-Maru's sleeve. "Where you go?"

"Away," Sessho-Maru answered firmly, but his resolve weakened a little. He felt like he could punch himself. He couldn't get weak now, now when…it was so hard to leave. Reluctantly, he shook Inu-Yasha off. He then continued to walk away. Inu-Yasha tumbled into a heap, staring disbelievingly at his brother, his friend. Why was he so cold now? Izayoi couldn't bear to look any longer; she turned away.

"Back…Come back!" Inu-Yasha wailed, already breaking into sobs. Sessho-Maru's heart felt like breaking, but he pursed his lips and carried on. Nonsense! Proper demons shouldn't be hanging around humans and half-breeds; if he wanted to learn to survive, it would be with another demon. Preferably his father, but he had chosen to be with humans. He had to learn to live by himself, to forget about his friends, about Inu-Yasha. This was the best choice for him. So why did it feel like it wasn't?

"Sessho-Maru," said his father. "Keep this in mind. What does it truly mean to be strong?" Sessho-Maru turned back for a glance and saw that his father was fading. "Keep it in mind, my son. For making your choices and for unlocking the true potential of the Tenseiga." At last, it was midnight.

Inu no Taisho was gone.

Sessho-Maru and Yukino were gone.

Still, the wisdom of the dead rang on.

_What does it truly mean to be strong?_

_What does it mean?_

_**In the end…**_

A demon attacked the village of Kiro, Toma, and Sachiko. There were no survivors.

Inu-Yasha hadn't really forgot about his childhood, and as he grew older, he became more despised for being a half demon (and how he kept beating everyone at card games). When he found Tetsusaiga, his habit urged him to chew it, and only with the power of Priestess Saminoke (summoned by Izayoi) could it be sealed away, thus stopping his habit once and for all. (Although it was too late for the Tetsusaiga…)

Speaking of which, Priestess Saminoke took on an apprentice by the name of Kikyo, who would later come into possession of the Shikon Jewel from Saminoke.

Once Yukino felt he was ready, she handed the Tenseiga over to Sessho-Maru and disappeared for good. Sessho-Maru, upon not answering the question correctly, was disappointed to find the Tenseiga 'useless' (in his opinion). Having hardened, he regarded his childhood with Inu-Yasha 'embarrassing' and set out to hunt down his brother and the Tetsusaiga while surveying his lands with Jakken.

A poor fisherman found a beautiful demoness with snow-white hair and skin frozen along with a man holding a scroll, possibly a scribe, in a pond. Their story is unknown, but the area around the pond is always surrounded with flowers and figures of ice, even during the spring and summer.

After the death of Izayoi, Inu-Yasha was kicked out and had to learn to survive out in the wilderness. He, too, had hardened and possessed a snappier attitude, and unlike Jakken, receives visits from Myoga when he thinks it's safe enough to visit. It was inevitable that'd he'd find out about his monthly transformation. Hating these lapses of weakness, he searched for the Sacred Jewel in hopes of making him more powerful.

He met up with Kikyo in his pursuit of the Sacred Jewel, and though they were fighting at first, they began to fall in love.

You know the rest of the story.

**Author's Note: **Finally, Brothers' Bond draws to a close! Sorry it took a month instead of two weeks to update; it took longer than I thought, and I found myself unable to go on on those days, so sorry! (Do you even care?) And no one requested anything! (Well, I guess that's okay; it'd only take me longer to finish) I kind of changed the ending so Inu no Taisho would come back. And about the abrupt end. Is it satisfactory?

I'm working on another story idea, and if you check back at this author's note (earliest at a month later, or two, or three, or maybe even after school ends; yeesh!), I might have the name of the new story posted. Thank you all readers for reading my first fanfiction! So happyhappyhappyhappyhappy!!!

**Author's Note-Updated Version **(this is just so that I can also keep the original A/N)This is the updated version of the Author's Note above (duh). It's going to take me longer on my new story than I thought--I'll do my best to post it up by the end of this summer and before school starts, and for those who were wondering about the **_(cut later) _**(if you don't know about it, don't worry), it's because I wasn't sure whether to post that part up or not, but I did it anyways, and I guess I forgot to delete that. So I hope you enjoyed my fanfic and enjoy your summer!


	7. Afterwords Parodies

**After Words Parodies**

_**Some things are better left unsaid…at least until later**_

**Author's Note: **This is just for amusement (though I don't know if anyone checks back to this story anymore). I came up with it after I added the fifth chapter and thus, finishing _Brothers' Bond _but finally decided to add this after a whole school semester. Eh heh.

**In demon heaven:**

"So," another demon lord asked Inu no Taisho over a cup of tea, "what did you mean by the question, _'What does it truly mean to be strong?'_"

"I have no idea," Inu no Taisho answered, sipping his cup.

**Overhearing a conversation:**

"You **–BEEP-, **I oughta—"

"Shut the **–BEEP- **up, you **–BEEP—"**

Inu-Yasha recalls something.

"Hey, you **–BEEP- **half-breed, what are you **–BEEP- **staring at us for?"

The swearing alphabet pours out of Inu-Yasha's mouth.

**In regular old heaven:**

"Hey, remember that festival with Sessho-Maru and Inu-Yasha?" Sachiko asked.

"Yeah…I especially enjoyed watching Sessho-Maru dance," said Toma.

"I can't believe I missed that!" Kiro exclaimed.

**When Izayoi came up:**

"Why, that father of mine! How could he kick Inu-Yasha out like that? When he comes up here, I'll show him a few kicks…"

**When Izayoi's father came up (?):**

"OW! Izayoi, what is the meaning of—OW! OW! OW! STOP IT! OW!"

**In the Western Lands:**

"Hello, Lord Sessho-Maru!" said Jakken. "I am to be your—"

Sessho-Maru kicked him like a football._ "Why did Father send me such an ugly servant?" _he thought sadly.

**In Inu-Yasha's forest:**

"Hello, Lord Inu-Yasha!" said Myoga as he sucked blood from Inu-Yasha's nose. "I am—"

Inu-Yasha flicked him out of sight. _"Why did my old man send me a bald leech?" _he thought angrily.


End file.
